The Playboy and the Recluse
by obsessiveness
Summary: What does Aidou do when Kaname is away? Getting himself into trouble again no doubt. Yori on the other hand would much rather keep to her quiet spaces and avoids drawing attention to herself. They say opposites attract...AidouxYori
1. Introducing: The Playboy

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Akatsuki Kain sighed as he entered the moon dorm. He was thoroughly exhausted. He shut the door firmly behind him and leaned against it. _Why did Kaname insist on dealing with the council?_ Traveling so far was completely tiring. The noises from the humans on the train ride had prevented him from getting any sleep. Not to mention having to sit next to Ruka while she constantly looked at Kaname with puppy dog eyes. At least he was home now and he could look forward to a good 8 hours of decent sleep.

He took a deep breath and stilled. _What was that smell_?

He sniffed the air again...alcohol and...blood. _Not again!_

Kain headed up the steps skipping two at a time as he hurried towards the scent. Walking down the hallway to his room he could definitely tell the smell was getting stronger. Upon reaching his room, he stood outside the door and sighed. The scent was definitely coming from inside and it was coupled with muffled voices and female giggles.

He opened the door to a disturbing yet all too familiar scene. On one of the beds laid the oh so famous Idol-sempai. He was sprawled out and shirtless. There were two girls with him. Not one, but two! One was laying along side him kissing his naked chest while the other was on the other side of him with his fangs buried deeply in her pale neck. _Well that would explain the scent of blood._

The girls were in various states of undress. Pieces of their day class school uniforms strewn about the floor along with two empty bottles of champaign, tipped over and completely forgotten. _And that would explain the scent of alcohol. _

"Hanabusa...."

The young half-naked vampire startled. Pulling away reluctantly from the girl's neck. He looked up to notice Kain in the doorway glaring at him.

"Oh Akatsuki your back!" he had a goofy grin plastered on his face. He was obviously drunk, and hadn't thought anything of the implications of his cousin's early return. "Why the sour face?" He frowned giving his best boyish pout with widened blue eyes. His speech was also noticeably slurred. "Relax, I brought you one." He said and motioned to the girl who's neck was still intact.

"What do you think your doing?" Kain insisted, ignoring the fact that Aidou had just referred to the girl as an object.

At this Aidou simply rolled his eyes. "Research...obviously."

As to what kind of research Aidou thought he was participating in, Kain didn't care to find out.

"C'mon cuz, why don't you relax and hang out with us?"

"Yeah" One of the girls chimed in. "I think your soooooo cute.....hic" the ridiculous fangirl confessed.

"Awe Akatsuki, I think she likes you," Aidou goaded still trying to persuade his stubborn cousin to join in the fun.

"Kaname-sama will be home any minute now you idiot."

Aidou jumped out of the bed unceremoniously tossing one of the girls onto the floor. She fell on her ass with a thud. So ungraceful.

"Owww!" she squealed. Kain grimaced at the painful affect of the high-pitched noise on his overly sensitive vampire ears.

"What?! He's on his his way home now?!" Aidou's blue eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and surprise.

Well that seemed to sober him up. "Yes he just stopped by to report to the chairman. He's probably walking here as we speak."

"Shit" Aidou was obviously distressed. "shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" He was franticly running around the room looking through the clothes on the floor trying to find his shirt. If the situation hadn't been quite so dire, Kain would have found it comical.

Giving up on the shirt Aidou turned to the more immediate problem. He picked up the girl who was still lying on the bed by the arm. "I'm so sorry girls but you have to leave. I promise we can continue this later" ever the playboy, he just couldn't have them hating him. He needed to keep his fan base in order after all.

The girls whined at him. "awwwww Idol-sempai c'mon let us stay"

"We promise to be good" the other one joined in sounding pathetically hopeful.

_Honestly, _Kain thought. _What is wrong with these fangirls? _He couldn't believe they put up with the idiot playboy. Although he had to admit getting two girls naked, in bed, and giving away their blood willingly was pretty impressive even for the oh so famous Idol-sempai.

Aidou started leading them towards the door. "Now girls I can't have your reputations ruined when the dorm president returns." Like he cared. "We can meet tomorrow night, I swear." He lied.

Aidou was now practically pushing them out the door. Ignoring their squeals and moans of protest.

"I need to get dressed first!" One of them exclaimed. After all she was only in a bra and her short school uniform skirt.

Hastily Aidou looked around the room for her clothes. He grabbed a pair of shoes, some socks, and one Cross Academy school uniform shirt and shoved them towards the girls as he pushed them out the door.

"Idol-sempai!" The girl was still half naked as he started shutting the door on them.

"So sorry ladies, I'll see you tomorrow." he said as he shut the door in their faces.

He leaned against the door and closed his eyes as if he had just completed the most difficult task ever known to man. Glancing around the room he seemed to notice for the first time that it was a complete disaster. "Jesus Christ, how much time do I have?"

"I already told you." Kain was so obviously annoyed with him. "Minutes...maybe seconds."

At Kain's words Aidou looked like he was going to have a panic attack.

"Just get some clothes on that don't reek and I'll clean the room." Kain didn't know why he was always saving his ass. Really, the boy would never learn.

"Thanks Akatsuki, I really owe you one."

"If I had a dollar for every time you said that." But Aidou didn't seem to hear him as he was quickly changing into a clean button down shirt and black slacks.

As Aidou changed clothes Kain picked up the various things strewn about the room. A forgotten sock, the two empty bottles of champaign, more than a few empty glasses, a pink lacy thong.

_What? A thong?!!! _Aidou's fangirls really do go to extremes to get his attention.

Kain picked up the thong with two fingers disgustedly and threw it along with the other things into the trash can then tightly closed the lid. Hopefully that would at least keep the smell of alcohol from traveling all the way down the stairs to the entry way, where the dreaded Kaname was sure to enter at any moment.

Kain turned to his cousin who looked at least half way sober with fresh clothes on and his thick blond hair no longer a bed ridden mess. "Ready yet? We should go down to greet him." Kain said.

Aidou nodded and followed him out the door and down the stairs.

They had only reached the entryway a few seconds before the door opened and Kaname entered. His authoritative presence was like a thick smoke that filled the room. The cousins bowed in greeting as their beloved pureblood leader stepped inside. Tall and ever so calm he eyed them suspiciously.

"Tuck your shirt in Aidou" he commanded.

Aidou startled at his words and quickly tucked in his shirt. Were his hands shaking?

_Goddammit! why didn't Akatsuki tell me!_ he thought as he avoided Kaname's stare. He was so dead.

"I trust nothing unusual happened while I was gone?" Kaname spoke again to Aido. Was he toying with him?

"Of course not Kaname-sama" He said respectfully, still avoiding eye contact. "Everything is in order as usual." He was holding his breath. Mentally praying that Kaname wouldn't notice his nervousness.

Kaname eyed him silently for a moment, and Aidou felt like he was about to collapse from the stress. He should probably prepare himself for a slap because it was sure to come.

The silence continued for what seemed like eternity but there was no resulting slap. Finally, Kaname spoke again.

"Good well I'm going to retire. I'm sure Kain would like some rest as well. I'll see you two tomorrow."

Aidou let out his breath and inwardly sighed with relief. He was so damn lucky tonight. He felt like he could kiss Akatsuki for getting him out of this. Ewwww, well maybe not kiss him but at least buy him an expensive present or bring him a cute day class girl to devour. Oh wait, Kain probably wouldn't want that.

Kaname, who had turned for the stairs, suddenly stopped and turned back to look at him. Aidou held his breath again. Maybe he had allowed himself to feel relieved too soon.

"Oh, and Aidou," He said as the blue eyed blond tensed. "You should at least make sure those girls get home to their dorms safely."

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**Thanks for reading! In case your wondering where Yori is, don't worry. The next two chapters are almost entirely devoted to her. They're already ready to go on my computer I'll post them when I wake up in the morning.**

**Oh and Kain really isn't in it all that much, I just felt it would be fun to introduce Aidou from his perspective. =p**


	2. Enter: Yori Wakaba

**Disclaimer: I don't Vampire Knight or any of its characters. I just like to play around with them. =p**

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Yori Wakabe gazed out of the Cross Academy classroom window. It was gloomy outside and it created a hazy white glow through the glass. Well the weather suited her mood just perfectly. She preferred gloomy weather these days, always feeling that the too bright sun was mocking her with its ridiculously joyous presence.

She heard a light snoring sound and glanced to the girl beside her. Apparently class was the only place Yuuki ever managed to get a decent sleep. The prefect was practically drooling on her textbook, oblivious to the tedious droning of math equations from their teacher.

"Yuuki." She whispered and nudged the girl to try to wake her to. Yuuki was unresponsive, completely lost in a dream state somewhere else. She really wished Yuuki would pay attention. After all, if she didn't get the girl to focus in class it would only mean she would have to be up later helping her with her homework.

She nudged her again a little more forcefully this time. Yuuki simply mumbled something in her sleep and turned her head to the other side.

_Well at least that got her to stop snoring,_ Yori thought, happy with the small measure of relief. She really couldn't blame Yuuki. It's not like she had been paying attention either. Her head had been buried in her latest fantasy novel, following some prince as he slayed a vicious dragon in a place far away. She loved books. They were the perfect escape, and she needed that escape to forget about the unbearable realities of life.

She mentally shook herself. She refused to let her mind go into that dark place right now. She was safe at school and she refused to be controlled while she was here. If she dwelled on her problems constantly she would never be able to get through the day. The depressing thoughts would simply overwhelm her. She needed to be stronger than that.

She looked back to the window. A black crow had landed on a tree branch and seemed to be looking in. It tilted its head in the jerky manner that birds always moved and peered at her with its shining black eye. Then it quickly hopped off the branch and flew off into the clouds.

Yori watched the bird enviously. Oh how she wished she could just hop outside and fly away.

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A few hours later classes were finally over. Yori hurriedly said goodbye to her still sleepy roommate and headed out the door. She was in a hurry. She needed to get ready since she had things to do and places to go tonight. It would be a perfect chance to sneak out since Yuuki had seemed increasingly distracted with her evening guard duties around the school.

Yori ignored the gathering of fangirls at the moon dorm entrance gates and headed out the gates on the opposite side towards the day class dorms. She never stayed to watch the event. After all, she really didn't get along with any of those fangirls anyways. The other students were constantly teasing her, taking her quiet nature to mean that she was snooty and stuck up. Actually, now that she thought about it, the only person who did seem to like her was Yuuki.

Yori had always been socially awkward, preferring the companionship of a decent book rather than another person interrogating her. Yuuki was the only person she'd ever met that didn't seem to mind her unwillingness to reveal information about herself and her homelife. Yori was ever so grateful to have found a friend among the herds of idiotic day class students.

She had finally reached the day class dorms and was heading down the hallway towards her room. The dorms were completely empty and it was eerily quiet. Well that suited her just fine since she didn't want to talk to anybody anyways.

Stepping into her room she changed out of her uniform. She grabbed a pair of black jeans, a black sweater and black sneakers. She wasn't stupid, dark clothes were ever so helpful when sneaking around at night. She checked herself in the mirror. She looked like a bank robber or an assassin ready to sneak out into a life of crime. The only color left was her brown eyes and golden brown hair that was tousled around her face. She sighed, there was nothing she could do about hiding her hair since she had lost her black knit cap in her latest midnight excursion.

Ready to leave she stepped towards her nightstand to grab her room key. She noticed something bright and red lying on Yuuki's bed.

_Oh no she forgot her armband! _

This was definitely a problem. If Yuuki returned to their room to get her prefect arm band she would surely notice that Yori was gone. The last thing Yori needed was one of the prefects finding out about her common tendency to sneak out at night.

There was nothing she could do but take the armband to Yuuki now. It was the best solution. And if she hurried she would still have time to get off school grounds for awhile tonight.

She grabbed her heavy backpack and raced out the door.

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The day class students were now swarming around the moon dorm entrance gates. Yori could hear their eager squeals as she came upon the disgusting scene. How was she supposed to find Yuuki in this mob?

The gates opened and the fangirl squeals reached a deafening volume. Yori pushed her way through several day class students trying to find the prefect at the front of the crowd. The fact that Yuuki actually managed to hold off this huge mob was pretty impressive.

Finally, after rudely elbowing her way around a few more students, she was in arms reach of Yuuki.

"Yuuki!" she yelled holding out the arm band above the other students' heads and waving it like a flag.

"You forgot th-..." suddenly she was roughly shoved from behind and found her self tumbling forward onto the hard pavement below. She managed to catch herself but she fell roughly on her hands and knees. She winced as she felt her hands bruise from the force of the fall.

Somehow, in the process of falling, her backpack had opened and there were now books and papers scattered all over the ground around her.

Several of the students started laughing and pointing their fingers at her. "Isn't that that dorky girl who's always reading?" "Hey look the snob fell" "She thinks she's so much better than everybody else. Looks like she got what she deserved!"

Yori closed her eyes wishing she could just disappear. She really should be used to their endless teasing by now but it still hurt. She desperately pushed back the tears of embarrassment that were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Taking in a shaky breath she opened her eyes ready to take on the process of picking up her things and recovering her composure.

Right in front of her nose on the ground were two shiny black shoes.

Yori sat back on her heels grabbing two of her books in the process and looked up to the owner of the freshly polished dress shoes.

She almost gasped as right before her were the most gorgeous deep blue eyes she had ever seen in her life. The boy was kneeling in front of her a few of her papers in one hand and the other hand stretched out to help her stand up. She gazed on his features. Blond hair that set perfectly above large blue eyes, a breathtaking smile, and perfect white teeth. The guy could have been a Calvin Klein model.

Ugh what was she doing gawking at one of the male night class students. She was acting just like one of the ridiculous fangirls.

"Here let me help you up," He offered, his voice deep and gentle.

In a trance, she took his outstretched hand barely hiding a blush at the feel of its warmth enveloping her much smaller one.

"Thank you," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes as she stood up carefully.

"I don't believe we've met before. Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Hanabusa Aidou."

She dumbly stared at him. Why was he being so formal and polite? She watched as he flirtatiously winked at her and began to lower his head to kiss her hand.

Quickly snapping out of her gorgeous boy induced trance, she snatched her hand away just before those perfectly sculpted lips could make contact. He was making such a scene! She could almost feel the deadly glares of several of the girls behind her.

She mumbled something under her breath that sounded vaguely like 'nice to meet you' and shoved the red armband she had managed to pick up at Yuuki, who was now standing beside her. She ignored her roommate's confused and concerned look as she turned. Books and backpack clutched to her chest, she ran away towards the other gate.

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**Sorry if this got kind of wordy. I felt that Yori deserved a little development since she sadly has so few scenes in the manga.**


	3. Vampires are out at night

**Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this, dammit.**

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Yori deftly weaved through the forest that surrounded the classrooms of Cross Academy. Although the ground was covered with crispy leaves that were the indication of the fall season, she barely made a sound. She had become quite adept at making her way through the creepy wilderness from countless nights of sneaking away. She had also memorized the patterns of the two prefect patrols. So she knew how to avoid them perfectly.

Unfortunately, she needed to make a stop by the classrooms. After carelessly running away from the scene of her embarrassing fall, she had realized that she had dropped her wallet. To further her problems this meant she had been forced to wait to make her escape until the night students were in their classrooms and the day students had returned to their dorms. It was already dark outside.

She had probably dropped it when she had been so rudely shoved to the ground by some anonymous hateful student. She had been so taken aback by the daunting presence of one Hanabusa Aidou that she had completely forgotten picking up the rest of her things before running off to escape. Why had she acted like such an idiot anyways? He was just another night class student, albeit a gorgeous one, but still. She had never been one to indulge in silly crushes and infatuations. Being around him had made her completely lose her common sense.

All was quiet now, except for a soft breeze that rushed through the trees scattering more leaves to the ground. This brought Yori out of her thoughts and she continued to the task at hand.

Scanning her eyes along the ground she was relieved to see her wallet lying against a tree among a couple of pencils that must have fallen out of her bag as well. She picked up her things and stuffed them into her backpack. Time to make her escape.

She continued to make her way across the campus all the while sticking to the shadows. She ducked behind a bush along the east side of the classroom building and checked her watch counting down seconds...

_five... four...three...two... one._

As soon as she finished counting Zero stepped into her line of sight. He walked by about ten feet in front of her scanning the area but completely missing the quiet girl hiding in the bushes.

Yori waited until Zero was out of her sight before she decided it was safe get up from behind the bush, but the sound of approaching voices stopped her. Quickly, she ducked back into the shadows.

"Hanabusa what are we doing out here?" it was a deep male voice.

"Relax Akatsuki, I just wanted to come out for some air. Its not like I'm learning anything in class that I don't already know."

"Pffft" the man called Akatsuki scoffed, "good to know you don't lack modesty." He said sarcastically.

What were night class students doing out here? Everything was going wrong today for Yori. Couldn't a girl sneak out in peace? At this rate she was never going to make it.

Her heartbeat doubled in speed as the sound of two pairs of footsteps got louder heading in her direction. She closed her eyes mentally praying they wouldn't find her. They were in exactly the spot Zero had walked by a few minutes earlier. When they were standing several feet in front of her their foot steps stop.

"Hey Akatsuki, do you smell something?"

What? No way they could smell her. That was just too weird. But still she could feel two sets of eyes looking in her direction. She gripped her hands together tightly, heart pounding in her ears. _Please don't let them see me._

She forced herself to open her eyes. The one Aidou had called Akatsuki was much taller with broad shoulders. Although his hair was reddish blond and his eyes were brown, there was an unmistakable resemblance between the two. _They must be related somehow, _Yori thought.

Aidou closed his eyes and lifted his head slightly as the breeze blew though is hair.

_God he looks good like that_...No wonder all the girls in school couldn't stop talking about him.

After breathing in the scent he opened his eyes and walked directly towards her hiding spot.

"Come on out. You've been discovered." he ordered briskly.

There was no saving her now. Shakily, Yori revealed herself out of the darkness, brushing the dirt off her knees as she stood up.

"Well if it isn't the pretty little day class girl that fell down today." Aidou started teasing as she stood up. "Aren't you the naughty one for sneaking around here at night."

At this point Yori was at a loss for what to do. Running away probably wouldn't work as they both looked fairly athletic and were probably faster than she was. She could try kicking him or something to catch him by surprise before making an escape. But then there was the problem of the taller one who would probably just follow after her anyways. There was no way she could take on both of them. Well, maybe she could just reason with the guy...

"I should remind you that your not supposed to be out here either, Hanabusa Aidou." she said, her voice laced with venom. She hoped he would feel duly warned.

"Touché" he seemed totally unaffected by her attempt to be menacing. "But I think your the one who's in trouble now. Not me." His voice lowered a notch and had a distinct element of danger.

In fact his entire presence reeked of danger right now. Far different than the smiling flirtatious boy she had met by the night class gates. He was stepping towards her, encroaching on her space. She really didn't want him getting near her and backed away a few steps until her shoulders came into contact with the brick wall of the campus building. He stepped over the bush she had been hiding under and stood a few inches in front of her bending down to take a closer look at her, his face barely an inch away from hers.

She pressed against the wall turning her head to the side trying desperately to put distance between them even though it was impossible. She was beginning to feel the needles of fear in her skin and her heart beat even wilder, pounding in her ears.

"What a pretty face you have." Aidou said softly as he lifted his hand and brushed it along her cheek that was facing him.

She flinched at the light brush of his fingers as they pushed strands of her hair behind her ear making the entire side of her face and neck exposed.

"Relax honey, I'm not going to bite...hard." His voice was deep and mesmerizing. He was so close now she could practically feel the brush of his lips against her skin. His breath felt hot with every word. His other hand came up to press against the wall blocking her escape. She felt like a trapped animal. What was he going to do to her?

"Hanabusa, lets get back to class. I really don't feel like dealing with this right now." The taller boy spoke from somewhere behind him, sounding tired.

_Oh thank god, at least this guy is a gentlemen. _Yori thought. She felt newly found hope that the taller one would be her knight in shining armor and save her from her predicament.

"Then don't." Aidou stayed facing Yori as he spoke. His face still incredibly close to hers. "Head back to class. I won't be long."

Akatsuki Kain sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just hurry up, if your not back in five Kaname will get suspicious." He was walking away as he said those last few words over his shoulder.

_What? Come back! _Yori mentally yelled at the man called Akatsuki, but he simply walked off disappearing behind the trees. She felt the sense of fear returning. So much for her knight in shining armor. Typical male.

"Hmmm now where was I." Her thoughts were instantly brought back to the boy in front of her as his seductive voice whispered in her ear.

The hand that had been gently brushing through her hair moved to grip her chin firmly, turning her to face him. "Let me see those pretty eyes of yours." His voice continued to work its magic on her senses.

Hesitantly, she lifted her head to face him. He really was attractive and she had to force herself not to get carried away admiring his chiseled features. She looked up at his eyes.

His eyes were red! Not bloodshot red but a deeper shade, like the color of blood. As she looked closer she noticed there was also something else odd about them. She had the strange sensation that she was sinking into them as she wondered about their deep red color.

"Thats it hun, just look at my eyes for awhile."

But she didn't hear him. Her entire body felt like it was sinking now. She felt herself get warmer and the fear dissipating. Her head felt fuzzy and she could no longer focus on why it was that she had been so afraid in the first place. Her knees became week as the world began to spin. The fact that he had just snaked an arm around her waste to support her barely registered in her foggy mind.

The entire length of his body was pressed against her now, firmly holding her in place against the wall. Lean muscles and body heat pressed against her as as she felt surrounded by what she could only describe as his aura. The arm around her waste pressed her even harder against him as his other hand embedded itself into her hair, massaging her scalp.

She felt her muscles relaxing and she leaned against him. She was allowing him to completely support her now. If he were to let go she would instantly fall to the ground. Everything in her mind felt so hazy that she didn't even care what was happening. In fact she was enjoying it.

He was now kissing her gently along the side of her neck. His lips a feather light brush against her skin, each kiss making her shudder with pleasure. She heard a breathless moan and was vaguely aware that the noise came from her. She tried to move her head closer to the enjoyable feeling, but the hand that was tangled through her hair held her head firmly in place, then pulled it farther to the side to give him better access to her neck.

She was his prey now. She was tangled in the mental web he had surrounded her with. He had her exactly where he wanted her, completely vulnerable and willing to give him anything. Her body was practically begging him to continue touching her. He held her so tightly she couldn't have even moved if she wanted to.

His mouth was pressed hard against her neck now and she felt the moistness of his tongue and mouth as they worked magic on her skin. Whatever he was doing to her neck felt..._amazing! _She never wanted him to stop. She felt like her entire body was flowing into him and she was willing to give him all of it. She gripped tightly onto his shoulders trying to steady herself as waves of pleasure rushed through her body.

She completely aware of him in a strange connection. She could sense everything about him. His musky masculine scent, his hand gripping her hip, the vibrations from his chest as he groaned against her skin, the soft sound of his gulps...

Wait....._Gulps?!_

Suddenly she crashed back to her senses. It was like the feeling of waking up from a nightmare, and reality slapped her in the face. What was going on?

More importantly, Why was she letting him do this to her?!

She instantly began to struggle against him. Pushing his chest as hard as she could and wiggling her legs from under him. "Let go of me!" she yelled. "I'm going to scream!"

That snapped him out of it. He jerked his head back to look at her. He was breathing deeply like he had just ran a mile. He looked like a completely different person now. Dangerous and menacing, with eyes still red. He had a trail of blood running down the side of his chin.

_Blood?!_ _Oh god...are those fangs? _Yori began to panic. Struggling even harder against him she began hitting and kicking him frantically with all her strength.

His hands grasped her wrists pushing them to her sides, trying to restrain her. "Oh god please let me go!" Her voice was desperate.

"Easy girl," despite her panicked state, his voice remained smooth and steady. "Your gonna be ok."

But his attempts to calm her down were completely failing. Still trying to escape, Yori brought her knee up forcefully. The adrenaline from her fear gave her strength that she wouldn't ordinarily have. She had been aiming for his crotch but he was faster than her, and was able to block her knee with his thigh. She had still made forceful contact though. And in apparent shock from the pain, he let go of her.

Now was her chance, Yori broke free of him to flee.

She only made it a few feet when a wave of dizziness washed over her. The world started to spin out of control. As if in slow motion, she felt her body begin sinking to the ground. Her darkening mind barely registered that she had been caught from behind. Two arms wrap around her just before everything went black.

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**Wow. I totally got carried away with this chapter...**

**Just a little teaser: In the next chapter we'll get to hear some of the story from Aidou's perspective...**

**Please feel free to let me know what ya think. It's always great to get feedback.**


	4. The Deal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters, but could I please just spend one night in the moon dorms? kk thx**

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Aidou paced back and forth across the darkened day class dorm room. Luckily, Yuuki had informed him that this girl was her roommate. All he'd had to do was flash a smile and Yuuki had stuttered some response about how he shouldn't bother her best friend Yori. As annoying as that prefect was, she was wonderfully easy to get information out of.

He glanced over at one of the beds where she lay sleeping. Yori was apparently exhausted from the loss of blood. He hadn't meant to take so much. How had he lost control? Granted her blood had tasted like heaven, and the sounds she had been making drove him crazy. But he couldn't figure out why she had all of a sudden freaked out like that. It wasn't like he'd been hurting her.

Thinking about the taste of her blood started to distract him. It had felt wonderful going down his throat, so sweet...

_Stop thinking about that! _

He needed to focus and come up with a solution fast. He really didn't have many options. He could have brought her to Seiren to erase her memories, but she was Kaname's devoted watchdog and wouldn't hesitate to report it. He cursed the fact that he didn't have that one particular ability right now. It would have fixed everything.

What would Kaname do if he found out about this? The pureblood had been more lenient with him lately, or at least it seemed that way. Except for the last time when he had teased Yuuki. Then he had learned the hard way that she was absolutely off limits. Now that he thought about it, why hadn't Kaname slapped him the other night for bringing day class girls to the moon dorms? It was confusing. The pureblood was incredibly difficult to figure out, always serious and calm. It was kind of scary not knowing what to expect.

Maybe Kaname had decided it was ok since the girls always wanted it anyways, or maybe he was messing with him. Aidou couldn't put it past the calculating dorm leader to do something like that, but either way it didn't really matter. When it came to blood and girls, Aidou simply couldn't help himself. Life was too short to not have fun breaking the rules.

The girl on the bed stirred. She really was very pretty. He hadn't lied about that. She had soft brown hair to match big innocent eyes. She was probably a very sweet girl. He made a mental note to look for her next time he was walking into school with the rest of the night class. She would definitely be the next lucky lady to receive a shot from his invisible gun. That should make her feel better.

Well, at least dealing with her tonight ought to be easy. He could just charm his way out of this and convince her not to say anything.

She stirred again opening her eyes sleepily and used her hands to prop herself up. Her eyes were groggy and she looked slightly confused as she glanced around recognizing that she was in her own dorm room.

"Nice to see you awake, honey." he drawled.

She visibly startled at the sound of his voice. Her brown eyes widened as she took in his presence and moved her hand to grasp the side of her neck. She was afraid of him.

"Relax I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk." He said holding both hands up, palms forward in a gesture of peace.

"Your a vampire!" She exclaimed as if the realization had just dawned on her.

"But aren't I a nice one?" He flashed her a grin.

She didn't respond to the question or the smile. "Am I going to..." she trailed off.

"No, your not going to turn into a vampire. I don't have the power to do that."

"Oh," she said softly, looking slightly relieved.

Aidou looked at her and realized she was even prettier than he had originally thought. She had full pink lips that just begged to be kissed and a cute thoughtful expression. She also had a very small frame. He really shouldn't have taken so much blood from her.

"How did you find my room?"

"Yuuki told me you were her roommate after I met you today."

"Are there other vampires too?" she didn't hesitate between questions.

Man she was pretty direct, he hadn't been inspecting an interrogation. He nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Uh yeah there are some others."

"How many?"

What was this, an interview? He didn't want to tell her everything. "Just some others around school 'n stuff, nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?! Are you crazy? What about what you did to me tonight!"

Wow she looked pissed. Although she looked kinda cute like that.

He tried flashing another smile as he bent down and grabbed her hand. "Your just so pretty I couldn't help myself."

She snatched her hand away. "Don't touch me!"

He was shocked. Why wasn't this working?

"Don't worry, We're trying to achieve peace between vampires and humans. We're forbidden to drink human blood if they are unwilling."

"Well that obviously isn't working!" She was even more angry now.

"Yes, I really am truly sorry about earlier." He lied.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Well what do you want? Why are you here talking to me now?" Her tone was demanding.

He sighed. This was going to be a little tough to explain. "Listen, I need you to keep this little incident a secret."

She was glaring at him. "Why on earth would I want to do you any favors?"

"Because you don't want me to drink your blood again." He inwardly grimaced when he heard her gasp at his statement. He felt guilty for resorting to threats, but he really couldn't think of any other way to deal with this. She wasn't stuttering and feinting from his attention like she was supposed to.

"But you said it was forbidden. I could always just go talk to whoever's in charge."

He sighed again. The human girl was really making this more difficult than it had to be.

"Pffft he wouldn't care, he lets me do anything I want." he hoped she would buy it.

"Then why don't you want me to tell anybody?"

Damn, didn't take her long to figure it out. He couldn't come up with a good answer to that.

"Look, people would freak out if they knew there were vampires so just don't tell anybody ok?" his frustration was coming out in his voice.

She stared at him with a straight face, like she was seeing right through him. It was making him uncomfortable.

Finally, she said. "Fine, just don't ever bite me again."

"Ok, I won't... unless you want me to." He couldn't help but put that in. She to had come to her senses eventually.

She scoffed. "Like thats ever gonna happen."

"Right, so do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal." She said letting out a sigh.

"Good I'm glad we've managed to work things out." He said as if closing a business meeting.

He stood up and walked to the door pausing briefly to glance back at her. She was still sitting up on her bed, arms wrapped around herself, gazing at the floor with a forlorn look in her eyes. He had the strange urge to hold her in his arms but brushed it off as soon as it occurred to him. There was no way he was going to get involved with a pitiful human girl unless it was for blood or other things...

Without a second look, he stepped out the door shutting it firmly behind him.

As he walked down the hallway he heard female giggling and talking from inside one of the rooms.

_Hmmmmm, tempting...._

Then he just frowned and slumped his shoulders. He'd already been out way too long, he really should be getting back. So, he kept walking and headed back to the rest of the night class.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! The next chapter doesn't have a whole lot of plot development, but its a fun read and you'll see why. =p**


	5. Uncontrollable Desires

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters, and I do not write this for profit.**

**Enjoy....**

* * *

Yori yawned as she listened to her homeroom teacher drone on about world history. Waking up that morning had been an extremely difficult task and she knew it was because she still hadn't quite recovered from the loss of blood the night before. At least she felt better now that she had eaten a healthy breakfast and lunch.

Her cheeks flushed as she thought about the events that had occurred last night. She knew Aidou had been using some type of hold over her but she couldn't ignore the abandon with which she had allowed him to touch her. And she still remembered the feeling of his mouth on her skin.

She forced her thoughts away from the memories. She had other problems to deal with now. Most importantly, the fact that she hadn't managed to leave campus last night.

She glanced at Yuuki sitting next to her, who was again sleeping through class. Today she was going to resort to asking the prefect for a little help in letting her leave campus for a few days. Surely Yuuki could pull a few strings with the chairman in her favor.

She saddened as she thought of the reason she needed to leave campus to return home. Her little brother had just reached the age of five last week and she was desperately worried about him. It had been way too long since her last return.

She spent the rest of the last hour of class planning what she would tell Yuuki. She figured she could tell her that her little brother had a fever and she wanted to go home to help take care of him for the weekend. Surely Yuuki would agree to it since she was always going on about how adorable Yori's baby brother was. The only problem was getting Yuuki to agree to letting her leave campus without her guardian there to pick her up.

The class bell rang interrupting both her thoughts and Yuuki's stolen nap.

"Oh class is over already?" Yuuki said groggily.

Yori rolled her eyes, "Yes and you've been sleeping through the past two hours of it."

Yuuki looked at her friend apologetically. "I'm so sorry Yori, but could I borrow your notes again?"

"I guess." Yori reluctantly consented. "I'll photo copy them for you in the library tonight."

"Thank you so much. Your a life saver." Yuuki hugged her enthusiastically.

"Could you do me a favor though?" Yori asked.

"Whats that?" .

Yori explained her made up situation and added that since the boy's father was working over time he wouldn't be able to come pick her up to take her home. It was so far from the truth it was almost funny.

"Hmmm" Yuuki rubbed her chin as she thought about this. "Well I'm sure we can come up with something. I'll talk to the chairman tonight."

Feeling guilty for deceiving her friend but relieved that the plan was working, Yori made her way towards the classroom door. She thanked Yuuki as they left class wishing her luck in controlling the fangirls ready to welcome the night class.

She walked through the hallways against the traffic of students as the fangirls rushed towards the school exit. Yori again would not be attending the event. Instead she was looking forward to an evening in the library curled up with her favorite companions...books.

The library was completely empty at this time of day. It was nice having some quiet. Oh who was she kidding, the library was always empty at Cross Academy. All of the idiotic students were way too caught up in their night class infatuations to ever take the time to study.

She breathed in the comforting smell that the library always had. It was slightly musky, the smell of aged novels and dust. She knew the perfect spot to curl up with a good book since she spent countless nights there alone.

Walking through the halls of books, she picked up novels here and there as she passed, making her way to a corner of the library, hidden behind book shelves and shadows. There was a big lazy chair in the tiny makeshift room that had stacks of books for walls. She was fairly sure that she was the only one that knew about this spot as the several times she had spent in the library, she had never come across anybody here. She smiled to herself as she curled up in the comfy chair and buried her nose in the pages of a book by one of her favorite authors.

* * *

"Please, please ladies!" Aidou exclaimed as he made his way through the crowds of girls that made up his fan base. "I would absolutely love to stay here with you but I really must be heading to class now."

The girls moaned in protest as Yuuki had to forcefully push them out of the way to create a path for him.

Although by all appearances Aidou seemed to be his normal carefree self, he was secretly scanning the heads of girls looking for one with golden brown hair. He tried to hide his disappointment as he noticed she was nowhere to be seen. Its not like it mattered if he saw her or not anyways. She was just like any other day class girl...easily replaceable.

"Where's your roommate Yuuki-chan?" He asked before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth. What was he thinking asking about her like this in front of everybody! He ignored the quizzical stares of some of the other vampires in the night class.

"Ummmmm you mean Yori-chan?" Yuuki was completely confused as to why he was asking after her best friend for the second day in a row.

"Uh yeah." He needed to think of something fast. "I still have a few things to return to her after she fell the other day." He said and beamed with pride at his excellent explanation and quick thinking.

Taken aback by what he knew was his irresistible smile, Yuuki answered him without thinking. "Well she might be in the library. She was going there to photo copy her notes before heading home."

Aidou had to refrain from kissing the girl right there in front of Kaname. Yuuki had been so innocently forthcoming with the information. "Thanks so much Yuuki-chan. Your the best." He said as he waved goodbye and flashed her another drop dead gorgeous smile, then headed to school with the rest of the night class.

* * *

Yori's novel was captivating her attention. She had been completely unaware as hours had passed by while her head was buried in the book. She didn't notice at all when a blond haired vampire bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Why hello there Yori-chan."

At the sound of the voice Yori jumped out of her seat, book falling to the ground with a thud.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed as she placed a hand over her chest while trying to recover from the scare.

Aidou smiled with a sparkle in his eye. He seemed to love toying with her. "Well this is public property ya know and I _am_ allowed to be in the library at this hour. Didn't ya know vampires can read too?" he teased.

Yori couldn't help but notice how good he looked in his school uniform. He had apparently decided to ditch the jacket and tie and was only in his black shirt that somehow managed to make his eyes look a darker shade of blue. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms. Looking at him made it difficult to concentrate.

She folded her arms and struck a determined pose to let him know she was totally fed up with his antics. "Well if your looking for books on how to be an ass your in the wrong place!" She declared. He was so infuriating!

"Watcha readin?" He ignored her.

"A very in depth and complicated novel that I'm sure you couldn't even begin to understand." She was pissed now. "I was enjoying it thoroughly until I was so rudely interrupted."

"Awwww Yori-chan, there's no need to be like that." He said while taking a step towards her, a perfect flirtatious grin still etched on his face.

She stepped back and bumped against the tall book shelves. He continued to languidly move towards her, blue eyes still sparkling, closing the space between them.

She was starting to feel trapped. _Well this is beginning to feel familiar_. The thought occurred to her as she remembered the other night.

"A-Aido, why are you here?" She stuttered.

"Well, if you must know, I'm here to see you, Yori-chan." His voice was playful even though he was much closer now. The warmth of his body seemed to be traveling the few inches between them and she could smell the soft musky scent of his expensive cologne. It was exactly the same scent as the night when he bit her.

If nothing else that thought brought her to reality. She lifted up her hands to push against his chest. "Please, don't come any closer."

But he didn't seem to hear her. He placed his hands against the bookshelves on either side of her and took another step even closer. She could feel the heat of his chest through his shirt under the palms of her hands. He wasn't overly muscular like Kain, but his body was still lean and firm. She felt herself getting warmer as the beginning of desire spread through her. How could she let herself react to him like this?

"I dunno Yori," he drawled. "It seems you'd like me to get an awful lot closer to you right now." Was that a smirk she sensed in his voice? Oh god her cheeks had to be completely red by now. This was too much.

His head moved to the side of hers and she could feel his breath softly brushing against her hair. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and Yori's heart skipped a beat.

"Aidou you promised..." Her voice came out soft and breathy.

"I believe I said I wouldn't bite you...there's a lot of other things that don't involve biting you babe." His voice was slightly muffled because he now had his face buried in her hair. She felt his moist tongue softly lick her earlobe as he continued to tease her. "Damn you smell good." He said hoarsely before he bit her earlobe just enough so she could feel his teeth.

Yori felt like she was on a roller coaster that wouldn't stop. Every time his mouth brushed against her ear she felt a tug inside her stomach. Instead of pushing against him her hands were now desperately gripping onto the front of his shirt. She needed to hold onto something to keep herself from falling.

His hands lowered from the bookshelves to firmly grip her hips. He pulled her closer to him so that the entire length of her body pressed against his. His face was directly in front of hers now. She knew what was coming, and she simply couldn't stop it.

He pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft despite the growing passion between them. The sensation of his soft mouth against hers was overwhelming. She felt his moist tongue attempting to gain entrance between her lips, but she kept them firmly shut. She was trying to keep any dignity she could possibly muster.

He lifted his head barely enough to speak. "Open up for me hun," his mouth was brushing against hers with every word. His right hand moved lower along her school uniform skirt, slightly lifting the hem as his knuckles brushed against her outer thigh. She felt another tug in the middle of her stomach and unknowingly parted her lips to let in a much needed gasp of air.

He didn't waste the opportunity and immediately lowered his mouth to hers again, this time pressing his tongue into her mouth. _Oh god he's an amazing kisser._ She felt her knees grow increasingly week as his wet tongue explored the inner crevices of her mouth. She gripped the front of his shirt even more tightly and pulled him closer towards her despite her original intentions to push him away. She was rewarded with a low groan emanating from his chest as he deepened the kiss.

Kissing Hanabusa Aidou was like accepting temptations from the devil. She knew she was selling her soul and she would probably never get it back. In the back of her mind she knew she would regret this but her body refused to agree. The feel of his mouth expertly kissing hers was simply too much for her. He was completely controlling her body's every reaction. She was a puppet and he was pulling all the strings.

The hand that had been fingering the hem of her skirt moved to her opposite leg now and was slowly brushing up her inner thigh, moving closer and closer towards the unbearable heat between her legs. She couldn't deny it, her body begged for his touch. The feeling of his hand gently rubbing her inner thigh caused her to let out a soft moan. She felt her body betray her as she parted her legs slightly to allow him easier access. Oh why was she letting him do this to her? Everything about it was wrong. She could tell he probably knew this, but he continued to take complete advantage.

He lifted his head from her lips so that they could both breathe and immediately moved to her neck, kissing her wetly along her pale skin. His right hand moved ever so slowly up her inner thigh, getting closer and closer to her aching center.

"Ahhhhhh" she heard herself gasp as his she felt his knuckle brush against her underwear that was already beginning to get moist.

"Hmmmm I think maybe I should take care of this for you." he whispered huskily into her ear.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her chest as she felt his hand pull her underwear aside to touch her intimately. _I can't believe he's touching me like this. _She thought helplessly.

She heard herself moan even louder as a single finger slipped inside of her. His other arm had to wrap around her waste to support her and keep her from falling over. His finger was moving in and out of her, rubbing against a spot inside of her that was sending lightning sensations of pleasure throughout her body. He was teasing her, moving much too slowly and her body was begging for release. He pressed the pad of his thumb against her clitoris and her hips jerked involuntarily against him.

"Easy hun, I promise to take care of you." His voice was still deep and husky even as he tried to soothe her.

Oh god she needed him to move his hand faster...now! She felt something uncontrollable building inside of her and she desperately needed to let it out. He seemed to understand her thoughts because he pressed a spot inside her, rubbing his finger faster, as he brought her soaring to her desperately needed release.

She clutched onto his chest as every wave of her orgasm wracked through her body. She heard the sounds of her moaning but they sounded distant when compared to the roaring pleasure inside her head.

While taking in deep breaths of air and trying to recover herself she rested her forehead against his chest just below his shoulder. Slowly, as the waves of her orgasm dissipated, she began to feel uncomfortable with the position they were in and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

His body was still pressed against hers as he continued to support her. His face was buried in the crook of her neck and his hands clasped around her hips. She lifted her head and tried to push him away in order to put some distance between them. She wasn't sure how to react to what had just happened.

He gripped her more tightly. "Just stay still for a minute." He seemed to be struggling to speak. His voice sounded rough and each word came out forced.

She noticed that his breathing was uneven and he was taking in shaky gasps. "Aidou?" she questioned, not sure what she should do.

He didn't reply and simply held her tightly like that, until his breathing eventually became more even.

He finally stepped away and she lifted her head so she could look at his face.

His blue eyes were cold when he looked down at her. "Well I guess you're not the innocent day class girl I thought you were."

She felt a sharp pain in her chest at those words and looked to the ground so he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes.

A short silence passed between them, and when he seemed to realize she wasn't going to respond he simply said "Next time don't expect me not to bite you." and with that he walked away. Disappearing behind the rows of books and heading out the door of the library leaving Yori to fall to the floor holding herself and trying to stop hot tears from flowing down her face.

* * *

**Stupid Aidou...**

**lol there's a plot in this story. I swear! I just have to take a break to indulge myself in a nice lengthy lemon every once in awhile, cause those really are the best kind. =D**

**Next chapter has thoughts from Aidou as well as appearances from Kain and Kaname.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. The Escort

**Disclaimer: I don't know why I'm writing all of this when I'm not making any money off of it.**

* * *

Aidou splashed cold water on his face in the boys bathroom of Cross Academy. Well that had gone a whole hell of a lot farther than he had expected it to. He had really just wanted to talk to the girl, but the pulsing of a blue vein underneath the almost translucent skin of her neck had gotten the better of him.

He looked at his dripping face in the mirror. His eyes were changing back and forth between blue and red, betraying his thoughts and deepening bloodlust. With shaking hands he reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal tin. He grabbed two blood tablets and threw them into the back of his mouth before reaching under the sink, grabbing water to swallow them down.

He really wasn't being himself lately. Normally he always had complete composure when he was with a girl, human or vampire. He would take what he needed, returning as much pleasure to her as she could handle, and then give her a sweet goodbye with a promise of his return. Never had he ever been so rude to a girl as he was to Yori that night. But then again, he had also never denied himself blood when it was right there in front of him like that. Seriously, he had wanted her blood so much he had thought it was going to kill him. Since when did he care about keeping his promises anyways?

Straightening himself, Aidou gazed into the mirror and attempted to regain his composure. His eyes had returned to their cool blue color now. Apparently the blood tablets were working. _Thank God._ He really couldn't have himself returning to class with red eyes filled with bloodlust.

And as for that other type of lust...well he was just going to have to tolerate it for awhile.

Walking through dark halls on his way back to class, he noticed Kain leaning against the wall next to their classroom door, looking bored as usual.

"What are you doing here?" Aidou asked.

"Waiting for you." Kain was eyeing him with suspicion. "We got out of class early awhile ago."

"Oh, well I guess we should head back then." Aidou was trying to brush off the interrogative look Kain was giving him.

"Where were you?"

"Just looking through a few books in the library...I found one that kept my interest for awhile."

Kain watched Aidou for a few moments and eventually sighed, apparently realizing that was all the information he was going to get out of him tonight.

"Kaname wants to see you about something."

_Oh shit. Kaname found out already? _Aidou had a sinking feeling as he wondered what type of punishment he would most likely be returning to.

"He said he wants to talk to you about hunting a few Level E's." Kain said, noticing that Aidou let out a breath of relief.

Oh so thats all it was. Well that was no problem. Aidou could definitely use a little action to keep his wandering thoughts away from Yori and her sweet smell, soft skin, tantalizing hair, and delicious blood...

_Dammit! _He was doing it again. He was so definitely not himself these days.

* * *

"I'm so glad you've decided to grace us with your presence Aidou." Kaname said, as he sat with his legs crossed on the other side of his desk. His watchdog, Seiren, was standing behind him obediently. Kain and Aidou were in Kaname's office which was connected to the pureblood's bedroom through a door on the side wall.

Aidou shifted under Kaname's dark gaze. "Thank you Kaname-sama." He bowed respectfully as he spoke. "What is it you wanted to ask of me tonight?"

"Don't bother putting on the act. I know what you've been up to tonight."

_Fuck. _Did Kaname have eyes everywhere? He had been so damn careful to cover his tracks this time. How the pureblood always found out what he was up to was completely beyond him.

"Uhhhh Kaname-sama....about that..."

"Shut up Aidou." Kaname interrupted him.

Oh man he was really in for it this time. Kaname must be pissed.

But Kaname just sighed, "We'll deal with it later. Right now I have a job for you."

Aidou could only nod like an idiot. Fear had made him completely lose his voice.

"I'm sure Kain already informed you that I need you two to hunt down a Level E tomorrow night. It's been plaguing the east side of town."

No surprise there. This was pretty much what Aidou was expecting. Kaname was always determined to catch the rogue Level E's before the vampire hunter clan could, like it was some kind of competition.

"Also, Yuuki asked me if you could do her a favor."

At this Aidou straightened and gave Kaname a confused glance. What could that annoying prefect want?

"She asked if you would kindly escort her best friend home for the weekend."

A feeling of dread entered Aidou's stomach at Kaname's words.

"Yes I realize you know who she is." Kaname said, practically reading Aidou's thoughts. "She will arrive safely to her house, because you will make sure of it. Understood?"

"y-yes Kaname-sama."

Kaname only glared at him, "Now leave."

* * *

Yori waited impatiently by the front gate to the Cross Academy campus property. She had finished classes only an hour ago, and the sky was just starting to darken as dusk set in.

Yuuki had simply informed her that she had found some upper classmen to escort her home for the weekend, so having a parental guardian pick her up would be unnecessary. Yori was certainly thankful for her friend's help. It was nice, for a change, to be able to leave campus without having to sneak around in the middle of the night. Yori ached to see her brother, and this was a more than better time to get away from the suffocating campus. Even if it meant dealing with the atrocious drunk that was the boy's father. Hopefully it wouldn't be a problem though. She had become adept at avoiding him when he was in an overly drunken state.

She closed her eyes as she thought about the events in the library the night before. She was thoroughly disgusted with herself for falling for all of Aidou's lines and flirting. She had felt used and taken advantage of. Honestly though, the boy really was very good at what he did.

_That's probably because he's done it with a million other day class girls before_. She tried to shut up that nagging voice in her head even though she knew it was true.

The sound of people approaching brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up and almost fell over from shock when she noticed who it was.

Walking towards her was one Akatsuki Kain and one Hanabusa Aidou. Their grace was unmistakable even from a distance. She realized that she knew exactly why all of the night class students had an eerie beauty about them.

_They're all Vampires, s_he thought. Having the ability to attract humans to them with their striking beauty, like flies to a light post. It must really come in handy when it came to drinking blood. She wondered how she had let herself become one of those flies.

A black sedan pulled up to the gates.

"I see we arrived just in time." Kain said as he looked down at the small girl, remembering her from the other night. "How are you feeling?" He asked her directly.

"Fine," she said avoiding eye contact. _No thanks to you!_ She thought angrily, thinking about how he had abandoned her to be devoured by Aidou that night.

"Lets get going," Aidou said, briskly walking past them as the gates opened. He strolled towards the parked car and opened one of the passenger doors looking at Yori expectantly. "Ladies first."

It was so odd how he had these unusually polite habits. He seemed to have dual personalities, one being polite smiling and flirtatious, the other being exceedingly dangerous and threatening.

Yori carefully avoided him as she stepped into the car, sliding as far as she could across the leather seat and against the opposite window. She desperately wanted to get this car ride over with.

* * *

**The next chapter reveals more about Yori...**


	7. More Opposite than Before

**Disclaimer: This story is a free gift from me to you. =D**

* * *

Despite the urge to attack Yori's neck from across the car seat, Aidou somehow managed to maintain his self control. Honestly, not drinking blood when he so wanted it was really hard! For some reason, Kain had decided to ride in the passenger seat next to the silent driver, leaving Aidou and Yori alone in the back of the car. Maybe his cousin liked watching him suffer.

He glanced at Yori across the short distance between them. With a completely calm look, she stared out the opposite window. She was leaning into the door so that the entire length of her body was pressed against it. It was obvious she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

She was still in her black school uniform. He couldn't help but notice how short her skirt was and that the skin of her thighs was revealed underneath it. She wasn't tan but she wasn't whitely pale either. Her skin had this soft apricot color that didn't seem to have a single blemish.

As if reading his thoughts, she crossed her legs away from him, revealing even more skin as her skirt slightly rode up her thigh. He couldn't help but think about where his hands had been in the library that night. He almost groaned out loud. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him?

"What, do you hike that thing up so you can flaunt yourself around horny day class boys?" The angry words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"What on earth are you talking about?" she said incredulously.

He noticed Kain give him a warning look through the rear view mirror. Aidou knew he was being an ass but he simply couldn't help himself. Someone needed to tell the girl she shouldn't be walking around like that!

"Your skirt," he said in explanation. "I can practically see your panties from here."

Her face flushed beat red. "This is the school administered uniform! All of the girls wear the same thing. If you spent less time admiring yourself in the mirror and more time actually paying attention to the people around you, you would know this!"

There was a noise from the passenger seat that sounded like a laugh. Aidou glared over at Kain but his cousin's face had already returned to its normal bored look.

Glancing back at Yori, he noticed that despite what she had just said, she had uncrossed her legs and was now attempting to pull down the hem of her skirt as far as it would go, which wasn't very far at all. He instantly regretted his words, wishing she would cross her legs again so he could get another view.

_Damn!_ _She must be doing this on purpose!_

He nursed his grouchy mood for the rest of the ride in silence, until the car slowed and pulled up to a small house on the outskirts of town.

It was about the smallest house he had ever seen, if you could even call it that. It was more like a shack. The sides consisted of crusted and pealing paint that looked like it hadn't gotten a refreshing coat for decades. The windows were so dirty he could barely even see through them. He noticed that one of the windows was even broken and had wooden boards haphazardly nailed over it, as if that would even work to keep the air out. The small yard in front of the house was even more of a disaster. Tall unkempt strands of grass grew to almost two feet tall. There was also trash in the yard, a few empty beer bottles and empty packs of cigarettes.

What was even more astonishing though, was the fact that Yori proceeded to get out of the car, muttering a goodbye. Aidou stared out the car window with his mouth open in shock as she briskly walked up the few steps that led to the main door, opened up the screen, and used a key to let herself inside.

"She lives in that?!" Aidou couldn't hide the shock from his voice.

"Not everybody grew up pampered and rich, Hanabusa." Kain was rolling his eyes at him.

"I know that!" Aidou snapped. "But look at that thing, is that even livable?"

"I guess people can put up with incredibly harsh conditions if they have to." It seemed like Kain was having a little trouble understanding it as well.

Aidou was quiet as he took this in. He wondered what it would be like to grow up without servants and lavender scented pillows. It was something he had never been faced with before. His life had consisted of home school tutors, benefits, formal dinner parties and exotic travels around the world. He really hadn't thought much about how people lived outside of his own environment. After all, they were mostly just pathetic humans anyways.

Now that he was faced with the aspects of a much less wealthy lifestyle he wasn't quite sure how to react to it. His first instinct was to feel concern for Yori. The girl was irritating, mouthy, and too damn sexy for her own good but she didn't deserve to live like that.

Aidou kept his thoughts to himself for the rest of the day while hunting the Level E with Kain. The hunt for the rogue vampire was no problem. Finding Level E's was easy work for him and Kain and their noble abilities using fire and ice made killing them even easier. Also, it was a relief to keep himself busy vampire hunting in order to distract him from thoughts of Yori.

* * *

After entering, Yori shut the front door of the house behind her and leaned against it. It had been so embarrassing having the two night class students see the state of the house she had lived in briefly before moving to the dorms of Cross Academy. She sighed as she thought about the rumors that would most likely spread around at school and that she would undoubtedly be returning to more cruel teasing by her fellow classmates.

The inside of the house was dark. Apparently nobody was home. Her brother was probably still at school she realized. Who knew where the drunkard that took care of him was at this hour. Probably at the bar again. The man was not above drinking in the middle of the day after all. At least she was glad he wasn't home right now so she could have a little peace and quiet.

She resolved herself to keep as far away from the disgusting man as possible for the time she was here. The last thing she needed was to show up to school with more bruises. If Yuuki realized what her life was like in this house she would probably never let her return home, and Yori needed to be here as often as possible until her brother was safe.

As she walked around the house she had to watch her step to avoid the various things scattered across the floor. The place was a total mess. She stepped into the kitchen and was rewarded with the disgusting smell of dirty dishes and stale smoke. She picked up empty bottles of alcohol and left over dishes on the table. She had to cover her nose as she emptied out the ashtrays full of cigarette butts. The smell was disgusting. She really wished that man would refrain from smoking in the house. The thought of her little brother's tiny lungs being filled with second hand smoke made her sick to her stomach.

_Just two more weeks._ She told herself. Then her brother's aunt would be coming to take him. It had taken her a long time to convince the cold hearted woman, but it had finally worked. Certain sacrifices would have to be made, but it was worth it if it meant her brother's safety.

She headed up the darkened stairs to the second floor. The upper floor had two bedrooms and a small bathroom. Being that the house was so small, she shared a room with her brother whenever she came to stay for awhile. She made her way to their bedroom and couldn't help but smile slightly at all the toys scattered around the floor. At least her brother had things to play with and keep him company while she was gone. She picked up a few of his toys and threw them into the large toy bin he had by his bed.

Moving to a small table she she picked up a framed photo. It was a picture of her mother holding her little brother shortly after he had been born. Her mother had been absolutely beautiful and was beaming down at the baby in her arms. Yori felt a tear fall down her cheek. How she wished her mother were still alive.

The sound of the front door to the house slamming shut and somebody stumbling inside brought her out of her reminiscing. It was going to be a long weekend.

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**Posting 2 chapters today. The end of this one is purposely deceiving, but since you can read on I'll just tell you anyways.**

**There is no angst in the next chapter. Instead, Aidou tries to get to know Yori better. I wonder how that will work out for him...**


	8. An Unproductive Interview

**Disclaimer: The only rewards I receive for writing this story are your wonderful reviews. 3**

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The two days that made up the weekend went by uneventfully. Aidou was at least happy that he had a couple of days away from boring classes where the teachers couldn't possibly teach him anything. He wondered how Yori was doing in that pathetic excuse for a house. Why did she even want to return there? The day class dorms were so much nicer. Well that was quite the understatement. Compared to Yori's house the day class dorms were an elaborate palace. Hell the school's tuition for one semester was probably more expensive than her entire house and then some. He wondered how she payed for it.

Come Sunday evening, he found himself again in the black sedan with his cousin. As to why Kaname felt it was their job to go pick up the girl, he had no idea. They had been forced to wake up at freaking 5pm on a Sunday! It seemed the entire world was against him these days.

"Why the hell did Kaname send both of us to pick her up?" He asked Kain. Aidou was annoyed and groggy from lack of sleep and it came out in his voice.

Kain failed to suppress a yawn, "Because he wants me to keep an eye on you." he said sleepily.

"Then why didn't he just send you?"

"Because he wants me to keep an eye on you." Kain simply repeated.

Aidou rolled his eyes. Didn't Kaname know that his cousin spent most of his time helping Aidou keep from getting caught rather than preventing the trouble in the first place? Apparently not. Or maybe he just didn't care. Who knows what went through Kaname's head.

The car pulled up to the run down house and stopped. Aidou became annoyed when he noticed Yori wasn't outside waiting for them. He looked over at Kain who was just looking back at him expectantly.

"Fine! I'll go get her." Aidou was exasperated as he got out of the car. He slammed the door shut and headed up to the front of the house.

He knocked at the front door and waited for someone to answer. He felt completely out of place here in an expensive sweatervest, white jacket, and dress shoes. The poor surroundings totally didn't suit him.

The door finally opened and Yori stepped into the entryway. She was wearing a soft blue sweater that fit to her form perfectly and a skirt that he couldn't help but notice was quite a bit longer than the one that was part of her school uniform. It hung just above her knees. She was way too elegant to live in a house like this.

Curiously, he noticed there were two tiny hands wrapped around her left leg.

A little boy shyly peered around the outside of her thigh. His head came up to just above her knee. Aidou was immediately struck with the resemblance the child had to Yori. His face had delicate features and his eyes were exactly the same as hers, large brown and innocent. Probably the only main difference between the two was his almost white blond hair that sat in a mop on top of his head. The boy had snot running down his noes and seemed totally unaware of it.

Aidou looked back up to Yori who was now smiling down at the boy affectionately. Something about her seemed different, and it took a minute for him to realize what it was. He had never seen her smile before. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Yori absentmindedly pulled a tissue out of her skirt pocket and bent down to wipe the snot off the boys face. "Alright Simon, I have to get going back to school now. You be good while I'm gone ok?"

The child's already wide eyes grew even wider and started to well up with tears. "But I don't want you to leave!" he cried out as he started to sob.

The kid's crying started to make Aidou uncomfortable. The little boy obviously adored Yori. The scene really was quite heartbreaking as Yori tried in vain to calm the boy down.

An idea occurred to Aidou as he remembered he still had a leftover package of pocky that he had managed to keep hidden from Rima. He didn't want to give it away, but if it would get the kid to be quiet then it was worth it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the package.

"Do you like pocky?" he asked the child, bending down to reveal the candy he had in his hand.

Simon's sobbing grew quieter as he looked at the man in front of him who was opening a package of delicious candy right there in front of his nose.

Aidou took two sticks of chocolate pocky out of the package and reached out offering them to the boy. "If your good and say goodbye to Yori-chan nicely, you can have these."

Yori looked at Aidou gratefully. Apparently, like most kids, candy was his main weakness.

The boy nodded eagerly agreeing to the deal and tentatively reached out a hand taking the offered pocky sticks. He then proceeded to place them both in his mouth obviously elated at the taste.

"Simon make sure you brush your teeth after you finish those, ok?" Yori said looking down at him.

The boy named Simon simply nodded since his mouth was already full with candy, chocolate stains covering his face. The boy certainly didn't waste any time when it came to sweets.

Yori grabbed her bag off the floor, saying goodbye to the child as her and Aidou made their way back to the car. Again Kain moved into the passenger seat. Aidou opened the car door for Yori and she stepped inside, then followed behind her.

Once the car began moving he turned to the girl sitting beside him. "Cute kid." he said conversationally.

"Yeah," she sounded like she'd heard this a lot.

"You two related?"

"Yeah."

He waited for her to say more but when she didn't he finally asked. "Well, how are you related?"

"He's my brother."

Well that explained why they looked so much alike. Another question popped into Aidou's head. "He lives with your parents?"

"No"

"Then who takes care of him?"

"You ask a lot of questions." She obviously didn't want to talk about herself.

"Something wrong with that?"

She looked tired and closed her eyes, preferring to answer his original question. "He lives with his father."

"_His _father?" Aidou asked, wondering what that meant.

"He's my half brother. Same mom, different dads." She gazed out the window as she continued to speak. "He'll only be there for another two weeks before he's moving away."

"Where's he moving?"

"Far."

Damn it was impossible to get information out of her! He just wanted to know more about her. How hard could it be to answer a few simple questions?

"So where's your mom then?" he figured he'd try a different angle.

"Not around." she evaded again.

Unlike just about any other girl he had ever met, Yori obviously did not want to talk about herself. It was even more irritating since she was just about the only girl he had ever been interested in learning anything about. Life was having a weird way of screwing with him.

He wanted to press her for more answers but then he noticed her frowning as she gazed out the window.

Aidou's hand seemed to have a mind of its own as he reached across the space between them to place it on the skin of her thigh just above her knee. He had originally meant the gesture to be comforting but her skin was incredibly soft and he found himself reminded of the way he had touched her before, in other more intimate places. He wondered what her skin felt like under her sweater. His eyes wandered along her body to the two mounds on her chest, staring as they rose and fell with each breath she took.

_Ugh why am I thinking about this?_ He needed to move his hand...Now! He stared at the place on her leg where he was touching her. He mentally commanded his hand..._Move!_

But to his dismay, instead of moving off of her, he watched his hand start to rub the skin of her thigh. It was ignoring his brain and behaving completely of its own accord. His fingers starting brushing lightly back and forth, slightly disappearing under her skirt. She felt so good he didn't even care that Kain and the driver were only feet away from them.

"Don't do that." she said curtly. But the flush in her cheeks betrayed that she was at least enjoying it on some level.

He scooted himself a little closer to her and whispered in her ear. "I don't think you want me to stop."

This close to her neck he could see the pulsing of a blue vein underneath her skin. He began to imagine his fangs sinking into her flesh and her blood flowing into his mouth. Bloodlust was slowly starting to creep into his senses. He felt his fangs lengthen...

"Aidou?"

When he heard her voice his name he realized how close he was to her, staring at her neck like it was his dinner.

Reluctantly, he forced himself to pull his head away before he bit her right then and there. He still left his hand on her leg though. He'd given up on making it move. It felt too good to touch her.

He couldn't help but give her leg a tight squeeze and was delighted when she jerked in surprise. It was just too much fun to tease her! He loved how she reacted so openly to his every touch. He wanted to hear her make the same noises she had made that night in the library. He wanted to hear her cry out his name.

He looked down at his hand that was rubbing against her knee and stopped when he noticed there was something different about her skin there. Looking closer he saw that there was a dark bruise almost completely covering her knee cap. Why had he not noticed that earlier? _Because other parts of her body are so much more interesting..._

Ignoring that thought, he gently rubbed his index finger over the bruise, careful not to put enough pressure to hurt her. Her skin felt hot and it was puffy and swollen under the darkened flesh. He looked up to her face and gave her a questioning look.

"I fell the other day." She said quickly, looking away from him.

Well that explained that anyways. Aidou sighed. Humans really were so pathetically weak. For a vampire, a bruise like that would barely even last a few minutes and that was only if they even bruised in the first place.

Just then Kain decided to turn around and give his cousin a meaningful look. Aidou understood it as a warning and he moved away from Yori guiltily. _Stupid Akatsuki. Why is he here anyways? _Aidou thought as he crossed his arms and sulked, wishing his cousin would just disappear.

The three spent the rest of the ride in silence.

* * *

**oh Aidou, your so dense sometimes. *facepalm**

**There's no reason for Yori's brother's name being Simon instead of a Japanese one. I just thought it was a cute name for him.**

**And on a longer note: I actually have an entire chapter that was supposed to go before this one, which is devoted entirely to Kaname's creative punishment for poor Aidou. I'm so sorry, but I ended up deciding it doesn't belong in this story. I felt it was too comedic for this point in the plot, and it doesn't make sense to add it in later.**

**I could turn it into a oneshot or something though...**

**The next chapter will be titled, "A Kiss by Moonlight." So sappy and cliché I know, but it accurately describes the content. =p**


	9. A Kiss by Moonlight

**Disclaimer: I don't own vampire knight or any of its characters. I just use and abuse them.**

**If you missed chapter 7 go back and read it! It has important plot elements.**

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Yori stepped out of the car walking towards the main gate as the two vampire cousins followed behind her. She was fuming. Aidou had been so completely out of line in the car. She couldn't believe how annoyingly persistent he was. All she wanted to do now was get away from him as fast as possible.

She waited impatiently for the gates to open. Aido and Kain were talking to each other with muffled voices several feet away from her. She tried to listen in on their conversation but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Giving up on eavesdropping she mentally sighed and thought about the way Aidou had rubbed the bruise on her knee. She had been almost scared when he had noticed it. Telling him that she had fallen hadn't exactly been a lie. She had simply omitted the truth that the reason for the fall was getting pushed onto the floor by Simon's father. The man had come home reeking of alcohol one night. She had been desperate to avoid him but hadn't quite made it to the stairs leading to her room before he found her. Luckily the older man had fallen over drunk before he could do anything else to hurt her. She had run up the stairs to lock herself in the room she shared with her brother before he could follow her.

She had considered running away with Simon several times in the past. If it wasn't for the fact that the man seemed to have the thread of decency to not lay a finger on the child she would have. No, the boy's father only had it out for her. She knew the reason was probably because he was taking aggression out on her that was meant for her mother. Yori had met Simon's father a few times before her mother died. He had seemed to be sober most of the time back then. It wasn't until later that everything had changed.

"Lets go." Aido's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

She glanced up, a little startled at the sound of his voice. She noticed that Kain wasn't there anymore and looked around to find him walking off towards the school.

"Where's he going?" She asked.

"He's heading back to the moon dorms. I'm walking you back to yours."

"I can walk by myself. I don't need an escort." She said indignantly.

"It's dark out and I'd like to see you home safely." Nothing about walking with Aidou at night seemed safe at all but for some reason he seemed to think this was perfectly reasonable. "Listen," he quickly added before she could give a comeback. "I don't want to argue. Lets just get going."

"Fine," she snapped. Might as well get this over with.

They walked down the sidewalk that lead to the day class dorms without exchanging words. It was dark outside, but the moon was full and lit their path. A chill autumn breeze blew by making her shiver slightly.

"Here." Aido was holding his white coat out in front of her stopping her from walking any farther.

"I'm fine." she said, trying to push past his outstretched hand.

"Just take it." he was being stubborn and continued to use his arm to block her path.

She sighed totally annoyed with him. "Whatever." she muttered as she took the jacket from him tossing it over her shoulders and continued to walk past him towards the dorms.

They spent the rest of their walk in a slightly uncomfortable silence. His coat really did feel warm. She had to admit she actually had been a little cold and it was nice to have the extra layer. The jacket smelled faintly of him. It was a little bigger around her, the shoulders falling off the sides and the hem almost reaching the bottom of her skirt.

When they reached the dorm builing she stopped at the bottom of the steps leading up to the main doors, she turned to face him as she slipped out of his coat and held it out for him. But he didn't take it. He was just standing there looking at her intently, with perfect blue eyes. She shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze trying to avoid his stare.

"Alright well its getting late so..."

"Yori-chan," he interrupted her.

She looked up at him, surprised by his serious tone.

"There's something I wanted to tell you." It was now his eyes that were avoiding hers. "Its about the other night..."

"Aidou-sempai, I don't want to talk about this." She said sternly. She so did not want to have this conversation.

"Wait just hear me out." He spoke quickly, trying to stop her from leaving.

He looked extremely uncomfortable now. He ran his hands through his hair messing up the way it had set perfectly before. He shifted his weight from one foot the the other.

"Th-the thing is...what I wanted to say is..." he trailed off again. He looked incredibly awkward. It seemed so unlike him and was actually pretty amusing.

She couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. She simply could not believe her eyes. Here was the one and only Idol-sempai at a loss for words and stuttering like a twelve year old school boy. This was definitely an endearing side to him she had never noticed before.

"Hey!" he was scowling at her. "I'm trying to say something important here!"

"I'm sorry" She said trying to hold back her laughter and failing miserably. "Please continue."

"I can't believe you! A guy tries to apologize and you just laugh at him!"

That just made her laugh some more. "_That_ was you trying to apologize?" This was just too funny. "Don't hurt yourself."

He folded his arms over his chest looking completely embarrassed and annoyed at the same time and waited for her to finish laughing.

"Sorry," she said again. Her laughter had calmed down a bit, but she was still failing to suppress a smile.

After a few seconds Aidou's face softened. "You have a beautiful smile Yori-chan."

_Here we go again with the pick up lines. _Yori thought. But she still found herself taking the hand that wasn't holding his jacket and using it to cover her smile as a slight pink blush colored her cheeks.

"No, don't cover it up." he said, stepping towards her to take her hand and move it away from her face.

He was much closer to her now and as he stood directly in front of her, she realized he was taller than she had originally thought. Her head barely came up to the bottom of his chin. She stood there as if frozen, still holding his jacket and staring up at him.

At that point everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He held her hand as the pad of his thumb gently rubbed back and forth across her palm. Until that moment, she had never known that her hand was such an erogenous zone. She felt her breath quicken and her heart start to beat faster. Yori found herself staring at his mouth as his head lowered ever so slowly to hers.

When their lips met, it was incredibly gentle. As he softly brushed his mouth against hers she felt butterflies in her stomach and her knees began to feel weak. Her head started to spin and she leaned into him, not able to stand on her own. He used his tongue to coax her lips to part as he wrapped an arm around her waste to rub his hand along her back. He held her against him firmly as he explored her mouth with his tongue.

He knew exactly how to touch her to make her melt in his arms. He kissed her like he had all the time in the world, slowly and expertly. His tongue gently brushed against hers and she found herself kissing him back. He moaned deeply and his hand began to sneak its way under her sweater at her lower back. She felt it brush against bare skin, sending shivers up her spine.

All thoughts about trying to stay away from him, began to disappear. She tried to hold onto them, but he was like a genius musician who knew exactly what notes to play. She found herself wanting to stay like this forever, pressed up against him as they explored each other. She held onto him helplessly, never wanting him to stop.

His mouth began moving roughly against hers and she felt something sharp rub against her lower lip. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, but this didn't seem to stop him.. If anything it only made him press harder as he took her bottom lip into his mouth tasting her blood.

Just then the sound of the main doors opening interrupted them. Aidou and Yori jumped apart just in time to see two day class girls coming outside.

"Idol-sempai!" they seemed to squeal in unison. They both ran down the steps practically knocking him over as they latched onto his shirt.

Still reeling from their intimate kiss, Yori watched the scene in helpless disbelief.

"When can we come visit you again?" one said.

"You were so mean when you kicked us out of your room last time!" the other whined.

Yori closed her eyes feeling humiliated. She was just one of these fangirls to him.

She took his jacket and angrily threw it at his face. He barely managed to catch it with the two girls hanging onto him.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Yori yelled, enunciating each word. She turned, ran into the building, and slammed the door behind her.

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**Please let me know what you think so far.**


	10. Blood Burning Jealousy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters.**

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Kain relaxed on his bed in the room he shared with Aidou. He was lying on his back with both hands resting behind his head, deep in thought. His cousin was sure acting strange lately. He thought back to the odd conversation they had outside the car earlier that evening.

"Go away Akatsuki, I wanna talk to her for a minute." Aidou had said in a hushed, yet urgent voice.

"You want to continue what you started in the backseat of the car?" Kain asked, referring to the way Aidou had been rubbing the girl's leg with his hand. Yeah, he had noticed it, the two had only been a few feet away from him after all.

"What difference does it make? Just get lost!" Aidou glared back at him, attempting to yell while maintaining a whisper.

"Hanabusa..." Kain started with a tone of warning.

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything" Aidou hastily interrupted him. "I really just want to talk to the girl."

Kain eyed his cousin. It was obvious Aidou was interested in much more than talking to her.

"It's going to look bad if I show up back at the dorms without you with me." he said as he thought about the situation.

"It's fine. Just tell Kaname that I'm escorting her home if he asks. I'll be right behind you. I swear."

Kain had rolled his eyes at his cousin. That was just about the worst plan ever. Kaname would immediately catch on. Why the hell did Aidou think he could get away with being anywhere near the day class dorms without extremely close supervision? The playboy was a walking talking disaster for any day class girl that got within half a mile of him.

It was then that Kain noticed the way Aidou was looking at her. He had glanced over to her, and although Kain knew there was bloodlust involved, there was a longing in his eyes that seemed to reflect the way Kain felt when he looked at Ruka.

Now Kain sighed as he laid on his bed thinking about it. He had decided to let Aidou have his way despite his better judgment. The blond vampire noble was also damn lucky that Kaname hadn't been there when Kain arrived back at the dorms.

He knew exactly what was happening to his cousin. Aidou seemed distracted all the time now. He hadn't been flirting as much either. The last time they had been walking to class he didn't even stop to talk to any of the fangirls like usual. It was incredibly unlike him. Aidou was probably falling for that human girl. He just wondered if the idiot vampire had realized it yet.

Just then the door opened and Aidou stepped in the room.

_Speak of the devil. _Kain thought to himself.

Aidou looked like a mess. His hair was disheveled, his shirt was wrinkled, and he was holding his jacket limply in his hand. He shut the door behind him as he threw his jacket on the bed and pulled a chair away from his desk. He plopped down on the chair resting his elbows on his knees and ran both hands through his hair.

"Didn't go so well?" Kain asked, curious at the reason behind Aidou's dejected position.

"You could say that." Aidou spoke facing the floor, his hands still in his hair.

"Never thought I'd see the day when you had girl problems."

Aidou looked up to glare at him and Kain noticed the redness in his cousin's eyes, immediately recognizing bloodlust.

"Here take some of these." He said, tossing a small tin of tablets at him.

Aidou deftly caught them in one hand and rose up to fill a glass of water in the bathroom.

As Kain listened to the running water, he thought about his cousin's apparent condition. Aidou falling for a human girl could definitely become problematic. Although vampire's like Kaname wanted to find peace with humans, there were still many, including the council, who disagreed. Despite these facts, Kain couldn't deny that something like this could actually be helpful in achieving Kaname's goal. He just wasn't sure if they were ready for it yet, and unfortunately, it could cause immense problems for Aidou. Vampires simply did not have the respect for humans required to understand a mixed vampire human couple.

Kain glanced up as Aidou returned from the bathroom. His eyes were back to their normal blue. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions and Aidou was just lusting for her blood. In that case the playboy should definitely stop because things could quickly get out of hand. Well, the best way to find out was to ask...

"Do you actually like this girl or are you just messing around?"

"What? Where did that come from?" Aidou evaded.

"Just answer the question. Do you like her?"

"No! I mean yes....I mean...I don't know."

Aidou was definitely flustered and that sounded more like a yes than anything else to Kain.

"A lot of vampires would be pissed if they found out."

"Don't you think I know that?" Aidou snapped. "Look I'm not having this conversation right now. There isn't a problem." and with that, he stepped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Well if Kain had any doubts before, they were certainly gone now. Aidou was falling head over heals for a human girl.

* * *

Yori struggled to pay attention in class. It had been three days since she'd last seen him. Her thoughts were still filled with that night class playboy, and she hated him for it. When she had been kissing him outside her dorms she had actually started to think that maybe there was something between them. Honestly, she had been so naïve. When those two girls had come running out of the dorms it became instantly clear that she was just another fangirl to him. The ridiculous girls had even mentioned something about being in his room one night. When had that happened? Probably right after he got home from being with her in the library. Yori closed her eyes as the thoughts of Aidou in bed with clinging fangirls filled her mind. It made her blood burn with jealousy.

The loathsome emotion filled her body with heating anger, and it made her feel ashamed. She had seen it in Simon's father so many times. It was now a new way in which she had allowed him to influence her. Maybe if her mother had never cheated on him, or if he had been able to control his raging jealousy, things might have been different. But even though this was true, she still could never blame her mother. If anything, she blamed herself. After all, Yori often instigated it all on her own. Whatever happened as a result of her own stupidity, was well deserved. Even the first time Simon's father had hit her, she could have prevented it.

From that first day when she had moved into the house, Simon's father had tried to make her obey him in any way possible. It was as if he was trying to control her where he had failed with her mother. But Yori was her mother's daughter, and her heart remained strong even when her body was proved weak.

That first fateful night had started off like any other. Yori had been sitting at the kitchen table with Simon after making him dinner. She so enjoyed being with him even though sometimes, like all children, he could be difficult. She had made Simon's favorite, macaroni and cheese in spiderman shapes. She hadn't even been hungry herself, she just enjoyed playing with him, and watching his bright smile as he covered his face with yellow cheese sauce.

When his father had come home that night, Yori didn't even think he seemed drunk, or at least he hadn't carried the pungent smell of alcohol. He simply came home and walked without stumbling into the kitchen, then purposefully sat next to her at the head of the table.

"Get me a drink, girl!" he never seemed to have learned her name.

She didn't honor him by looking at him as she spoke. "Get it yourself."

He had slammed his hand on the table causing the plates and utensils to clatter, but Yori had shown no reaction. She refused to give him even that much.

"You think you can treat me like that stupid whore?" he had challenged her.

She knew he was referring to her mother and she hated it when he talked about her like that. "You deserved it." she had said, keeping her voice level, and stating it as fact.

He had instantly stood out of his chair, so violently that it slid back and then fell over onto the hard kitchen floor. Yori had responded by standing up and facing him, as if she could take him on.

"That stupid bitch couldn't listen! You will obey me!" Commanding her to obey him was a common thing for him to say.

Another common thing was the way Simon covered his ears, which he had also done that night.

But when Yori thought back on it, she didn't really think about Simon. Instead, she cursed herself for what she had done next.

She had stood facing his father, not backing down, and he had responded by standing over her, close enough to use his much larger size to threaten her.

But despite his stance, Yori didn't stop. "What are you going to do? Hit me?"

He had stood still for a moment, surprised by her words. Then, he raised a hand, palm aimed for her face, threatening to do just as she had said.

Yori should have stopped there, but she didn't. She had looked him directly in the face. "I dare you! Hit me!"

And hit her he did.

Thats how it started, and it never ended. Every single time he threatened her, Yori faced him head on, and every single time, he responded violently. Yori didn't know why she could never learn her lesson. She tried to tell herself to just do as he commanded, just to save herself at least. But unfortunately, it was somehow Yori's instinct. She always found herself fighting back, no matter the consequences.

She hadn't noticed the affects on Simon until much later. It was on a night when he had been incredibly difficult. She remembered trying to get him to go to bed as he begged her to read him a book. She had been tired, and it was already late.

"Read it again!"

"No Simon. It's past your bedtime." She had been firm with him. It was the best way sometimes.

"Obey me!"

She had stilled instantly. She hoped she had heard him incorrectly. "What?"

"Obey me!"

It was then that Yori had done the worst thing she had ever done in her entire life. She slapped him.

Even now, when she was sitting in class, she felt disgusting. She was being influenced by his father. It was as if he was contagious. Now it was making her feel jealousy, and then it had made her hit her own sweet brother. She was just as disgusting as him in so many ways.

"Are you ok, Yori-chan?"

Yori snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to her best friend sitting next to her. She realized that her face felt flushed and she had been gripping her desk. Yuuki was looking at her with innocent concern.

"Uh yeah, just a little tired I guess." Yori said lamely, as she tried to recover from the vivid flashback.

Yuuki didn't ask anything else, and Yori secretly thanked her. It was by far the best quality that Yuuki had. She always seemed to know when to not ask any questions. Yori knew that on some level, Yuuki understood. Still, Yuuki didn't know the details, and Yori would never tell her.

When class had ended, Yuuki had seemed uncomfortable, like there was something else she wanted to say. Yori already had an idea of what she was about to ask.

"I didn't want to bring this up Yori-chan, but..." Yuuki looked extremely uncomfortable. "Well its about your tuition. The chairman said we didn't receive it for this semester yet."

This had happened before. It always made Yori feel embarrassed. She often felt ashamed of the money problems at home, even though it was no fault of hers.

"I'm so sorry Yuuki-chan, the check is probably just sitting on the desk at home. I'll call home and have it mailed out tomorrow." She forced a smile.

Yuuki just smiled back, apparently relieved the brief conversation was over. "Ok, Yori-chan, I wasn't really that worried about it anyways." It was obvious that wasn't the truth. Yuuki couldn't pull off a lie if her life depended on it.

"You seem like you haven't been getting enough sleep." Yuuki frowned. "I'm sorry, I know I always wake you up when I get home from my rounds." she said apologetically.

_Are you crazy? _Yori thought at her friend. Yuuki was the one who was actually up and making those rounds every night, if anybody needed more sleep she did.

"Really its fine Yuuki. I like hearing you come home at night. It lets me know your ok." Yori really did feel some concern for her friend, especially now that she knew the entire night class was made up of vampires. The only reason she hadn't insisted that Yuuki stop patrolling at night was because she knew Zero was practically her body guard. The two were inseparable.

Yuuki smiled sweetly at Yori. They really were the best of friends, always worrying over each other.

"Well I think I'm going to spend the next night or two at the chairman's. You've been looking really exhausted lately."

Had her emotions been showing on her face that obviously? If she really looked that tired it was probably because she was up most of the night mentally berating herself for getting involved with Aidou.

"Really, thats not necessary Yuuki-chan."

"No, I insist." Yuuki could be very stubborn sometimes.

Yori let out a sigh. Apparently there would be no convincing Yuuki that she didn't have to stay at the chairman's.

After classes ended, Yori was tempted to head to the library, but her private space there was now completely off limits. Silently, she cursed Aidou for ruining a perfectly good solitary reading spot. Letting out a yawn, Yori decided to return to her dorm room. Maybe it would be best to make an early night anyways.

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Aidou sat on one of the couches in the front lobby of the moon dorms. He took a sip out of a wine glass filled with red liquid, grimacing at the watery taste of the fake blood. It was completely unfulfilling when compared to the taste of Yori's. Actually, at this point, Yori's blood was pretty much all he thought about when he was thirsty. He didn't even want to drink anybody else's. Nothing would compare.

He knew what Kain said was true. He shouldn't get involved with the girl. Mixed human and vampire couples were pretty much looked down upon by all vampires. The only one who got away with it was Kaname with his soft spot for Yuuki. Apparently, purebloods could get away with anything they wanted. It really pissed him off.

But even with these thoughts in mind, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Earlier that night, he had found himself searching for her among the swarming day class girls as he entered the gates. Even though he knew, of all places, she would definitely never show up to the daily event. It just wasn't her style. In fact, he kind of liked that about her. She was completely different from any other girl he had ever met. He was actually starting to miss the way she always snapped biting remarks at him.

Aidou was completely frustrated at how the night outside the day class dorms had ended. Of all times, why did those stupid girls have to show up then? He had been so close to getting a much needed drink. Instead, he had been left with barely a taste. It was driving him crazy. He wanted to taste her blood as it ran down his throat while she squirmed underneath him. She had become a temptation he could not resist.

He felt his fangs lengthen and slid his tongue across one, purposely drawing blood. This was too much. He wasn't used to not getting what he wanted and he wasn't going to start now. He refused to deny himself any longer.

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**I think the next chapter is in good shape, but after that I feel like the story could use some help.**

**So please post Comments and Reviews. They keep my muse talking... **


	11. Unattainable

**Disclaimer: I'm not making money off of this.**

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Despite her intentions to get to bed early, Yori found herself struggling to fall asleep. After laying in bed for several hours, she gave up and turned on a dim lamp then reached for a book on her nightstand. She leaned back reveling in the feeling of her soft blue flannel pajamas. It was always nice to get comfortable cuddling up with a good book. She opened the book to her bookmarked spot, thinking a little reading would relax her enough so she could get some sleep.

She was in the middle of an engrossing chapter when she heard a tap on the window.

_What on earth could that be? _

Glancing to her window she saw a figure perched on the windowsill outside. She got up to get a better look through the glass and was shocked at what she saw.

Perched right outside her window was one blond haired vampire noble in a white school uniform. Curiosity got the better of her, and without thinking, she opened her window.

"How did you get all the way up here?!" She asked incredulously as he swung a leg through the window stepping inside. The room she shared with Yuuki was on the fourth floor! There were no trees nearby and the side of the building was completely flat so there was nothing he could have climbed up. She knew because she had considered sneaking out through her window one night and had realized it was impossible. He didn't look like he had any ropes or anything to hoist himself up with. Maybe he had come down from the roof somehow. She stuck her head out the window to see if there was a ladder above her or something. Was there even a way to get onto the roof?

She quit problem solving when she heard Aidou laughing at her from inside.

"You really have no idea how much stronger vampires are than humans, do you." It was a statement more than a question.

His cocky attitude grated on her nerves.

"What are you doing here? Get out of my room!"

He ignored her as he started walking around the room. He went to her desk, looking at her unfinished homework and the small framed picture of her and Simon. Then stepped in front of her nightstand, looking at her stacks of books while scanning the titles.

"You read a lot, don't ya."

"Aidou-sempai, leave now!" she yelled as she stepped in front of him to stop him from looking through her things. Who did he think he was? Right now she didn't want to see anybody, especially not him. She was absolutely seething at having her bedroom invaded as he snooped through her things. Somebody looking through her personal space was something she definitely wasn't used to.

"Ok ok, calm down," He waved his hands as if trying to get her to stop verbally attacking him. "I just came here to talk."

Yori refused to put up with this. She was beginning to realize that Hanabusa Aidou never just wanted to 'talk.' She folded her arms over her chest and glared up at him.

"No, just get out of here."

"I won't leave until you hear me out."

"Fine, then talk fast."

"Ok well," he began. "Its just that I uh wanted to say sorry again..." He seemed a little uncomfortable as he ran a hand through his hair. Yori was starting to notice that this was a nervous habit of his.

"What on earth are you trying to apologize for this time?"

He looked at her exasperated. She knew she was making this difficult for him, but she didn't care.

"Listen," he tried again. "I'm just sorry about those girls the other day."

"When were they in your room?" she shot back without thinking.

She instantly became embarrassed as she realized what she had asked. She felt ashamed for being jealous. At least after the past few years of her life, she should know better than to let it overcome her. Besides, it wasn't like he was even close to being a boyfriend anyways. She had no claim over him.

"Awhile ago." he said, and paused to frown as if deep in thought. "It was before I met you." he added softly.

Her arms, that had been folded tightly in front of her, were now limply holding her sides. She looked away from him. She didn't want him to be nice to her right now. She wanted him to be cruel and cocky so she could stay mad at him.

"Is that what your upset about, Yori-chan? Your worried about other girls?"

She couldn't look at him now. She stood with her head turned away from him. She knew all of her emotions were displayed on her face.

He stepped closer to her, lifting both hands to hold her upper arms. She wasn't sure but it felt like he was trying to hold her still.

"Your the only girl who's with me now, Yori-chan."

It wasn't even like what he said had any meaning at all, but she still felt her resolve grow weaker. Her mind knew better, but her heart desperately wanted to believe that she meant something to him.

She looked up at him, and noticed that his eyes were staring directly at her neck. She froze as he lifted his hand to the side of her neck and moved his index finger along her skin, then stopped next to her throat and pressed down, feeling her pulse.

"Aidou..." she started.

"Don't you think you should be calling me Hanabusa by now?" His voice was distant, as he continued to focus on his hand. It was as if he was in a trance.

"Hanabusa..."

"Hmmm that sounds much better." he said as he moved his hand up to her chin, lifting it slightly, and exposing more of her neck.

He was acting like a predator, but Yori stood her ground, trying not to show fear even as his head lowered to her throat. She felt his breath against her skin as his nose brushed along the exact place his finger had just been. He took a deep breath, as if taking in her scent. Her heart skipped a beat. There were excellent reasons to not let him touch her like this.

So, Yori stepped back, and it was a mistake. Her foot hit the edge of the bed, and he moved with her, gripping her arms tightly. She tried to move away, but he leaned into her enough to make her knees bend and push her onto the bed.

She was momentarily shocked at the position she found herself in. Her feet were hanging off the side of the bed, not quite touching the floor and one of his knees pressed into the mattress between her legs. His body weight sunk into her, trapping her against the bed while he continued to breath against her neck. Her breath hitched as she felt his tongue wetly lick her skin.

"Yori," his voice was rough and her name sounded forced.

She tried to turn her head to look at him, but his head was in the way. She couldn't see his face and she was becoming very worried about what having his mouth touching her neck implied. His hand moved to snake through her hair, pressing against her scalp at the back of her head, holding her still.

"Ask me to bite you." He said gruffly against her skin.

_Is he crazy?! _There was no way she was going to ask him to do that! She moved her hands to his shoulders, lightly pushing against him trying to let him know she wanted him to get off of her.

"Jesus, don't move." He said. His voice was shaky, as if he was trying to maintain control.

It was then she noticed he was trembling slightly. One of his hands shakily moved to grip the sheets and his knuckles started to turn white. His breaths were coming in uneven gasps as if he was struggling for air.

_Is this painful for him?_

"Please." He whispered against her skin.

That word surprised her more than anything else. Saying please like that seemed so uncharacteristic of him. It was almost like he was begging her. Her hands came around his sides to rub his back in a comforting gesture. He really did seem like he was in a lot of pain, and it bothered her to see him like this. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself. She couldn't believe what she was about to do.

"Its ok," she soothed. "You can do it if you need to."

The words had barely left her mouth before she felt a dull pain as his fangs sunk into her neck. Her mind wasn't in a fuzz like it had been the last time he drank her blood, and she was very aware of every sensation. She had expected it to hurt more, but was surprised that the feel of his fangs in her flesh was a pain that somehow managed to feel enjoyable. It was mixed with pleasure, and felt like an intimate touch underneath her skin.

The hand in her hair tightened around her head and his mouth pressed more firmly against her neck. His fangs almost felt like they were holding her still and she could hear him swallowing softly as her blood ran down his throat. His mouth was wetly sucking against her skin and low moans emanated from his chest as the entire length of his body pressed against hers. She couldn't have moved even if she wanted to.

She was beginning to understand that being bitten by a vampire was something much more than just a bite puncturing flesh. She closed her eyes as a deeply warm feeling rushed through her in waves. Blood flowed freely from her body and into his. She gripped his shoulders, letting him drink from her, trusting him to support her throughout the intensity of the sensations. She was willingly giving herself to him and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

When he finally stopped drinking, she almost moaned in protest. His fangs pulled out of her neck, but he kept his mouth against her skin, licking excess blood around the wound. It was a soothing touch and her entire body sunk into the mattress as her muscles relaxed underneath him.

He moved enough to lay along her side, allowing only half of his body weight to rest against her. One leg draped over hers, holding her to the bed. He was completely relaxed now with face in her hair as his breathing returned to an even pace. One of his hands was resting on her stomach as he rubbed his fingers back and forth. It was incredibly distracting.

She took a deep breath so she could speak. "Does it hurt, Aidou?" She tried not to think about the hand on her stomach.

"Hanabusa," he corrected her.

"Does it hurt, Hanabusa?" she asked again.

"Does what hurt?" he sounded sleepy.

"When your thirsty."

He lifted to prop himself up on his elbow and looked down at her. "I a way I guess you could say it hurts, but it's not exactly pain."

"I don't understand." The way he had been acting like he was in pain before was really making her curious.

"It's just a really strong urge...like an addiction."

Yori was silent as she thought about this. That would explain how he had been acting before, like he had been struggling with something.

The hand that was rubbing her stomach started lifting her shirt, rubbing the skin just above the waste of her pants. She felt her heart skip a beat, and sucked in a sharp breath, holding it. He moved closer to her and she felt his tongue flick a cross her earlobe.

"Hanabusa..." she started to say.

"Hmmmm?" he was unbuttoning the bottom few buttons of her flannel shirt. Rubbing her stomach near her belly button. He shifted, raising his head above hers, "Let me have another taste." he said, just before he pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was gentle and exquisite. His lips were soft and knew exactly how to move against her. Overwhelmed with emotions, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His tongue pressed between her lips, brushing against hers, causing a wave of pleasure to rush through her.

His hand was rubbing against her ribs, getting closer and closer until his fingers brushed against the underside of her breast. Her heart pounded in her ears as she held onto him. Nobody had ever touched her like this, but he always managed to do things she had once thought she would never allow. She held onto him, trying to steady herself, and grabbed fist fulls of his shirt as his hand moved to cover her breast.

He pressed his palm against her flesh, kneading it, and exploring the weight in his hand. She let out a breathless moan as the entirely new sensations overwhelmed her. He took her nipple in between his fingers, squeezing it gently as it hardened in his hand causing her to involuntarily arch her back off the bed as she felt a sharp tug in her lower stomach. He took the opportunity to snake his arm around her waste, holding her against him tightly and roughly pressing his mouth against hers.

The kiss was escalating quickly to a fervent pitch. They were getting carried away again, and she was powerless to stop it. She was drowning in the different sensations, and every way he touched her just caused her to sink further into the depths. She felt that she had lost control of the situation, but she had never really had it to begin with.

She heard herself moan in disappointment when his hand left her breast, only to feel it at the front of her flannel shirt, undoing the buttons one by one. It was amazing how quickly he completed the task, and her heart pounded incessantly as he pulled her shirt away from her skin, exposing her breasts to the chill air. She should stop him, but she didn't want to.

He pulled his lips away from hers, kissing her down her throat, along her collar bone, and further still. She threaded her fingers through his hair, not pulling him closer and not pushing him away. She just needed to hold his head as she let him touch her. He took her nipple into his mouth, and gently sucked on the flesh as he rubbed it back and forth with his tongue.

At that point she seemed to lose her mind. She heard herself cry out as she pressed his head against her. The pulls in her stomach became frequent and intense. She was so overwhelmed that she didn't notice that both his hands had moved to the top of her pants, but she did feel his fingers sliding under the waistband. He was pulling them down slowly, inch by inch.

"A-Aidou..."

He sighed heavily pulling himself up so his face was above hers again.

"I told you not to call me by that name." he started kissing her along her chin as he spoke.

Ugh this was frustrating. It was so hard for her to talk when he was touching her like this.

"I mean...Hanabusa..." her words came between uneven breaths.

She couldn't finish. She couldn't even remember what she had been about to say, because his hand had found its way underneath her pants and was rubbing her inner thigh just below the burning heat between her legs. He pressed his lips to hers just as his fingers entered the folds of her flesh. She felt herself moving her hips against his hand. Unable to control the desire that spread through her.

He whispered against her mouth. "I know you want this as much as I do." his hot breath brushed against her with every word.

She could only moan again in response. Everything he did to her made it impossible to think, his mouth expertly kissing hers, his hand touching her in places she hadn't even known existed, his voice saying exactly the right things. She had lost the war before the first battle had even begun.

She could feel him lowering his head and pulling her pants off, but his fingers inside her kept her trapped in her own pleasure, unable to do anything but grip the sheets and move helplessly against him. She closed her eyes. He was relentlessly bringing her closer and closer to climax.

She opened her eyes when he pulled his hand away. Why did he stop?!

Then she noticed he was moving between her legs, using his hands to undo his fly. _Oh god_

"Wait...."

He didn't seem to hear her. She could barely even hear her voice herself. He had finished undoing his pants and was positioning himself between her legs...

"Stop!"

He instantly stilled. His hands were gripping her thighs so tight it bordered on pain. His forehead pressed against her shoulder. They were both breathing heavily, the sounds of their pants filling the room.

"Whats wrong?" he said gruffly with his forehead still pressed against her.

"I don't know...It's just...I just..." she was unsure of herself.

He suddenly pulled off of her to lay down beside her on his back. He put a hand over his face, still breathing heavily.

She felt a chill at the sudden loss of his body heat and sat up pulling up some of the bedsheets to cover herself. Besides her flannel shirt that was unbuttoned all the way, she was completely naked and it made her feel uncomfortable and exposed, even after what they had just done. She didn't know how to explain herself.

"I've never done this before." It wasn't exactly what she was feeling but she was wishing he would just understand.

"I know." He took a deep breath and spoke again. "I got carried away."

He stood up, refastening his pants and straightening his clothes.

_He's just going to get up and leave? _ She felt her heart sink..

Then he bent down, running his hand through her hair and kissed her. The kiss was chaste and their lips barely brushed against each other, but she couldn't help but hope there was meaning behind it.

He lifted up only to move to the window to slip back outside and disappear.

Yori laid back down on the mattress, still practically naked and reeling from the entire experience. It took a long time to calm her heart and slow her breathing. She stared at the white ceiling trying to understand what had happened. Her emotions felt shattered. She knew she was falling for him. Every time he had said something sweet, her heart had skipped a beat. Falling for Aidou was incredibly stupid, but at this point she couldn't control it anymore.

She thought maybe it had started the first time he had tried to apologize to her. She liked that side of him. It was only when he was being honest. Other times she couldn't tell if he meant anything he said. There were parts of him she could never reach. She knew he wouldn't be able to be anything she would want from him. He had a reputation for being a playboy, and to her, his actions seemed to prove it. She felt stupid for everything she had done with him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Yori are you in there?" a female voice said.

"Coming" Yori called back as she grabbed her pants and buttoned her shirt.

She opened the door to see the dorm president. The girl didn't say anything, just handed Yori an envelope. She then immediately turned around to walk down the hallway. She was apparently like most of the other students, not interested in talking to Yori.

Yori shut the door without saying goodbye and looked at the envelope. It had no writing on it, just a sheet of paper inside, like someone had just taken a message from a phone call. She took out the paper and read the scribbled writing.

_Some lady called and said to tell you she's picking him up tomorrow._

The paper started to shake as Yori's hand began to tremble. Tomorrow?! It wasn't supposed to be for another week still! That senile woman would totally do something like this. She would have to go home tonight then, otherwise she had no idea when she would see Simon again.

Yori didn't waste any time and immediately started to gather her things. If she wanted to see Simon one last time, sneaking out would be her only option.

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**Due to excellent advice, the plot thickens in the next few chapters. =)**

**Please Review! **


	12. Obedience

**Disclaimer: This story is free, just like everything else on the internet.**

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Aidou didn't go back to the night class after leaving Yori's room. Instead, he found himself in the library, sitting on the big lazy chair he had found Yori so cutely cuddled up in that first night he had kissed her. He was a little confused by Yori's behavior that night. He knew he had gotten carried away but she had seemed willing. He understood it was her first time but that had never stopped any other girl before. He didn't know why, but his best tactics never worked on Yori. She wanted him, he could tell, but she still wouldn't let him get closer to her. Maybe he should stop using his famous lines all together.

He laughed at the thought. That was just crazy. He knew that couldn't be it because he had worked out every way to get a girl to fall all over him to the point that he had perfected it to a tee. Every girl was a willing victim.

_But not Yori..._

He winced rubbing his forehead with his hand. Trying to figure her out was giving him a headache. She could be endearingly quiet and thoughtful. He liked that side of her even when it meant she was secretive. She was also smart. He smiled as he remembered when she had been trying to figure out how he got in through the window. She had been looking out the window with such a puzzled look on her face, pouting her lip, as if she was trying to figure out a math problem. She had no idea how cute she looked when she did that.

That was another thing. She had absolutely no idea how pretty she was. Yori was just about the most modest person he had ever met. Flattery didn't work on her at all. He wondered how he was supposed to talk to her.

Finally,after sitting in the library and thinking of nothing else but Yori for close to an hour, he figured he might as well go back to class. It would be a waste of time because he wouldn't learn anything but at least there was only an hour left.

After leaving the library, he slowly strolled down the darkened halls of Cross Academy. Even though he'd been gone for most of the night, he wasn't in any hurry. The school was quiet as he walked passed the large windows along the wall, each one revealing just enough moonlight to mark his path.

Suddenly, he stopped by one and looked outside. _Did something just move out there?_ He stepped up to the glass and scanned the darkened treetops that surrounded the school. He could just make out a little brown spot weaving through the trees. It was so small and so slight, that the human eye would have never caught it.

_Where the hell does she think she's going?_

He had already opened the window and had one foot stepping out when a deep male voice behind him said. "Where are you going Aidou?"

Aidou instantly froze. _Shit. _The pureblood always managed to appear at the worst of times.

He slowly brought his foot inside, as if sudden movements might get him into further trouble. He then turned and bowed. "Kaname-sama." he said in greeting.

Kaname didn't say anything. He just walked past him and gazed out the window noticing what it was Aidou had been intending to follow.

"You'd think she'd know better by now than to wander school grounds at night." he commented.

Aidou straightened, looking back out the window to watch her. "My thoughts exactly."

Kaname remained silent for a minute, as if thinking things over. "I assume you know where she is going?"

This question made Aidou nervous. He wasn't sure what Kaname wanted him to say, and he was getting the increasing desire to just jump out the window and go after her. He could hardly even see her anymore. It was amazing how quickly she was making progress.

He forced himself to keep both feet on the ground. "Home....probably."

Kaname let out a sigh. "Go back to class Aidou."

"But Kaname-sama..."

"I will send Seiren to watch her and see she gets home safely." he interrupted "Your services are not required."

_Goddammit! _Aidou wanted to scream at the overbearing pureblood. Instead, he just slumped his shoulders and looked at the floor. "Yes Kaname-sama."

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That night, Yori managed to sneak out with her usual flawlessness. She avoided the patterns of the prefects and luckily didn't bump into any wandering night class vampires. She easily found the spot along the campus walls that had enough bricks jutted out of the side so she could climb them. She reached the top of the wall and hoisted herself onto the other side. From there she only had to walk a few blocks to reach the nearest phone booth.

It took almost an hour for the taxi to arrive. She would be arriving home much later than normal tonight. She inwardly sighed, it simply couldn't be helped.

The taxi finally arrived, and the drive home seemed to take forever. After handing the driver a wad of cash, she looked at the house, relieved to see that the lights were off. It appeared that they were both sleeping.

Still, upon reaching the door, she pressed her ear up against the cool surface, listening for any sound that might come from inside, but it was dead silent. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door as quietly as possible. Everything, from the sound of doorknob turning, to the creak of the hinges, sounded amplified and obnoxious.

The living room was dark, but now she could see that there was a light coming from the kitchen. She stood perfectly still for several minutes, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and to gain much needed courage. Simon would be sleeping in his room by now. She needed to get through the kitchen in order to see him.

When she could see the outlines of the furniture and things on the floor, she began sneaking towards the light. She stepped up to the wall next to the kitchen, and pressed her back up against it, peering around to look inside.

Simon's father was sitting at the kitchen table. There was a glass and a bottle in front of him. The glass was filled with a brown liquid, but the bottle was empty. Tonight he wore brown boots, jeans and a white tank top. He already seemed to be well under the influence. His body practically swayed back and forth and his eyes were only half way open. Yori wrinkled her nose smelling the all too familiar scent of smoke, alcohol, and sweat.

She thought about her options for a minute. She wanted to go in there and scream at the disgusting oaf but she forced herself to stay put. It would be better to wait here until he passed out. From the looks of it, it wouldn't be long now and she would still be able to see Simon.

She moved to relax her body against the wall behind her and her hip bumped into the table next to her, knocking a beer bottle onto the floor. The bottle loudly crashed when it hit, shattering into pieces.

"You there, girl?"

His speech was incredibly slurred as he yelled ominously at her. She closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, mentally praying to herself. _Please don't let him find me._

She heard the chair move across the kitchen floor and uneven footsteps approaching her. She let out a shaky breath trying to gain her courage. The man was even more drunk than usual tonight, maybe should could outmaneuver him if she had to.

She stepped into the light and through the kitchen door. "I'm going to my room." she said as she quickly moved across the room.

"Get back here girl!" he yelled at her, but she ignored him not even turning to look at him as she all but ran for the stairs.

He took a step towards her and out of the corner of her eye she saw a swinging arm. She managed to duck past him and took a leap towards the stairs that were only a few feet in front of her.

Suddenly, her back slammed against the wall as a hand roughly grabbed her upper arm from behind. The back of her head hit the wall with a thud, making her vision shake as a wave of dizziness hit her.

He was grabbing her arm roughly enough to cause bruises, digging his fingers into her skin

"You should know better than to come in here after whoring yer'self all night " It sounded like he was so drunk he was confusing her with her mother. This was not uncommon.

"Let go of me you bastard!" She screamed as she used all of her strength to kick him in the shin.

That got him to let go of her arm and she used the opportunity to turn for the stairs. She didn't even make it a step before a fist came in contact with the side of her face. Unprepared for the blow, she couldn't catch herself as her body slammed on its side against the hard kitchen floor.

"Fucken bitch!"

Laying on her side she could see his brown leather boots that were barely a foot away from her. She lifted herself up onto her hands and knees. She couldn't give up yet. She was so close to the stairs. She just needed to make it a few more feet and she could...

Her breath was knocked out of her has his foot came in contact with her side, sending her crashing back to the floor. She heard his footsteps stumbling away from her as he muttered drunkenly to himself.

She didn't know how long she laid there for, trying to ignore the rush of pain from her side. She had no idea where he went, but he wasn't in the kitchen anymore. She gritted her teeth and lifted herself up. The pain was so intense she cried out as her muscles protested the movement, but Yori still refused to give up and after fighting to stand she used the railing to make it up the stairs.

It took a long time to reach her room, but it was all worth it. Simon lay innocently sleeping on the bed. His small body, barely making a lump under the covers. She sat down next to him. She wanted to wake him just to see his smile one last time, but she didn't. She just got under the covers and held him as he slept.

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Kaname's office was so dark he blended into the shadows as he sat with his legs crossed behind his desk.

Seiren stood at attention across from him. "The human would have been safer had I stopped her from returning home." She reported.

Kaname listened while remaining perfectly calm. "We need only to protect humans from vampires. It is not our job to protect them from each other."

Seiren bowed then turned to leave.

"One more thing."

She stopped, turning back to face him. "Anything you ask, Kaname-sama."

"Watch Aidou closely."

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**I've written some of the next few chapters but I'm having a difficult time writing for an angsty Aidou. Any ideas on how he would react would be very helpful.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. The Rebels

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters. **

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Over a week had passed, and Aidou found himself becoming increasingly frustrated. Why the hell was that girl spending so much time there? He remembered from those few questions she had answered in the car, that her brother would be leaving. There should be no reason for her to still stay there. Aidou couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this. He found himself worrying about her constantly, he wasn't even sure why. He had also become rude and grumpy, and would snap anybody's head off that talked to him. The other vampires of the moon dorms began to avoid him.

Even sitting here in class, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Their teacher was going over physics equations. He knew this stuff already. Heck he could probably teach the class better than the idiot stumbling over the problems at the board.

Ichijou started tapping his pencil on the desk next to him.

_Tap, tap, tap..._

"Stop it!" Aidou snapped at him.

Ichijou just turned to him and smiled, "Stop what Aidou?"

Why the fuck was he smiling?

"Stop tapping that thing, its annoying."

"What you mean this?" He started tapping his pencil against his desk again, purposely teasing.

Aidou went to snatch the pencil from his hand but Ichijou easily avoided him, laughing the entire time.

"Quiet at the back of the class!" the teacher scolded.

Ichijou stopped laughing and they were both silent for a minute, but then he frowned and leaned over to whisper to Aidou. "What's the matter? Miss your girlfriend?"

Suddenly a streak of ice, formed under Aidou's feet and threw across the floor, knocking Ichijou's chair over and smashing it against the wall on the other side of the room. Ichijou just barely managed to avoid it, jumping out of his chair and dodging to the side. Aidou hadn't meant for it to be so forceful, but in his frustration it had come out more powerful than he had originally intended.

Things progressed quickly after that. Aidou stood up and reached out to grab Ichijou by his shirt, but instead of coming in contact with the fabric, he found his hand caught by a dark and looming Kaname standing directly in front of him. Damn the pureblood was fast.

Kaname grabbed Aidou by the ear and painfully dragged him out the classroom door, like a misbehaving child, as the teacher and students watched in quiet disbelief.

When they reached the hallway Kaname shut the door, and Aidou immediately felt a hard slap come across his cheek, almost knocking him over as a thin cut sliced under his eye.

"You will control yourself, Aidou." Kaname ordered him sternly.

Aidou brought his hand up to his burning cheek, feeling the cut as he tried to recover from the shock of the blow.

"Kaname-sama...." he said to stop him from leaving.

Kaname didn't say anything and Aidou quickly took the opportunity to speak again. "Please let me go get her, Kaname-sama."

Kaname put a hand over his face as if Aidou was giving him a headache. "You should know better than to be asking me favors right now, Aidou."

Of course he knew that, but he didn't really have any other choices. Worrying about her was starting to drive him crazy. He bowed at the waste and kept his head facing the floor. It would be far too disrespectful to look Kaname in the eye while asking this. He closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists.

"I ask Kaname-sama's permission to leave school grounds tomorrow." he repeated his request.

Kaname let out a long sigh, seeming to think Aidou needed a lecture. "You know I want peace between humans and vampires, but what you are doing is not yet accepted among our kind. You are trying to choose a difficult path, and I will not allow it."

Kaname turned to face the door to the classroom. With his hand on the doorknob he spoke over his shoulder.

"You will stay here with the other vampires of the night class. Do not disobey me." He opened the door to go back into class, slamming it shut behind him.

Aidou stood in the hallway staring at the door for several minutes, completely torn. What Kaname had said made sense on one level. Vampires wouldn't accept it, but it's not like his life was in jeopardy. Since when did Kaname care so much about his personal life? The pureblood had a reason for everything he did, and he must have had a reason for speaking those words. It was utterly confusing.

Well, there was no way he could go back into class now. He should just head back to the dorms for the night. It would be incredibly difficult, but he needed to try to trust Kaname on this. It had always worked out for him before. He was probably just overreacting anyways. Yori had to come back eventually.

This is what Aidou was trying to convince himself as he walked home that evening, but that was only until he thought he heard someone moving near him. It was pitch black outside, but he caught movement in the trees out of the corner of his eye. Whoever was there had grossly underestimated him. He purposely chose to not show any reaction, and continued walking as if he didn't notice. Meanwhile he was listening and breathing in deeply to smell the air. It didn't take long to figure out it was Seiren.

It was the first mistake he'd ever known Kaname to make, because now he knew the pureblood was hiding something.

Aidou went home normally, continuing to hide the knowledge that Seiren was near. He went about his usual evening activities, drank a blood tablet mixed with water in the lobby, and then finally went up to the room he shared with Kain. He pretended to be asleep when Kain came in, waiting for his cousin's breathing to even and for the sun to rise. When a vampire sneaks out, he does it during the day time.

When several hours had passed and the dorm was quiet, he got out of bed. He dressed himself quietly, in a dark t-shirt and slacks, then grabbed a pair of much needed dark sunglasses. He fucking hated the sun.

"Hanabusa where are you going?" Kain said groggily, rolling over under the covers on his bed to look at Aidou.

Aidou didn't react. There was no point in trying to pull one on Akatsuki. "I'm going to get her." He said as he threw on a dark jacket that fell to his knees.

Kain sat up, instantly awake. "Didn't Kaname order you not to?"

"I don't fucking care Akatsuki. You saw that place! I'm not letting her stay there."

Kain stilled. Although Aidou broke many rules, he had never disobeyed one of Kaname's direct orders.

"Your being stupid Hanabusa."

"Whatever, just stay out of my way and don't say anything."

Kain got out of bed. Was he going to try to stop him? Aidou didn't want to fight his own cousin. They had fought many times as children and were a fairly even match.

Then Kain started grabbing clothes from the closet, and changing out of his pajamas. "I'd probably be in more trouble if I didn't go with you."

Aidou shouldn't have been surprised at this. They both had a deep respect for the pureblood, but they were more devoted to each other. Out of all the times Kain had helped him out, this was probably the most dangerous. He would have to remember this next time.

Aidou stepped to the window, and pulled the drapes to the side, letting the scorching sunlight through. He still had to squint his eyes, even through the black sunglasses.

Kain finished getting dressed. "Everybody's asleep. We don't have to go out the window."

Aidou looked at his cousin seriously. "Seiren's been watching me."

Kain ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus..."

They both knew that if Seiren was watching him, it meant Kaname was as well. She was his eyes and ears after all. More importantly though, it meant that Kaname had suspected he might do something like this. Going out the window probably wouldn't even work, but it was better than walking out the front door.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Kain asked.

"You don't have to come Akatsuki." Aidou said as he opened the window.

Kain simply sighed, apparently realizing his cousin couldn't be stopped. "Lets just get this over with."

After jumping out their window, they made fast progress, sticking to the cover of the trees and easily avoiding the day class students. The sun bared down on them, causing Aidou to perspire despite the chill autumn air. The bright rays seemed to glare ominously at him. It was just his luck. The sky would be perfectly clear on the one day he decided to sneak out of Cross Academy.

The black sedan was already there when they stepped to the gate.

"How long have you been planning this?" Kain asked, surprised that they would be getting a ride. Trust Aidou to sneak out, but still call for a car.

"Since yesterday."

Kain didn't say anything to that. He just followed Aidou to the car, opened the door, and slid inside.

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**lol for some reason I can picture Ichijou teasing Aidou, so he got a cameo. **

**Sorry this chapter was short, but the next one is pretty long, and it makes more sense to have a break here.**

**Thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think.  
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	14. The Calm before the Storm

**Disclaimer: The Vampire Knight manga and its characters are lucky I don't own them.**

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Yori stood in a grey sweatshirt and torn jeans in the small bathroom upstairs, looking at herself in the mirror. Even though she was trying to see her own reflection, she didn't turn the lights on. The stale light from the hallway was just enough to reveal her image looking back at her. There was a dark bruise on the side of her face just below her eye. She stared at it for several minutes trying to wish it away.

Finally she closed her eyes, unable to look at herself anymore. She took a deep breath and instantly regretted it when she felt pain in her chest. She lifted up her sweatshirt to feel along the bruises on her left side. It had been an entire week but it wasn't going away. The skin was a mixture of dark blue and purple, but nothing was physically broken. She lowered the sweatshirt which was incredibly oversized and hid all of her flaws. She preferred it that way.

This was by far the worst it had ever been. It seemed to progress, each time becoming slightly more violent than the time before. The only thing that never changed was the intense feelings of shame and disgust with herself. She felt the strong urge to stay hidden in the dark for days at a time. Whenever this happened the feelings were the same. The marks would eventually go away, but it would take longer for her to regain her emotional strength.

The only thing that relieved her was the fact that Simon was no longer here. She had been able to give him a loving goodbye over a week ago. Simon had cried the entire time, and his aunt had to practically drag him away. He had been put in the back seat of the van, and then pressed his hands up against the glass of the car window, looking at Yori as his aunt took him away. Yori had held back the tears until the van was no longer in vision.

Over the past years, Yori had noticed that the child was developing basic concepts of the only world he knew, as well as how to understand and behave in it. Still, he was young enough that his father's influence could be cured. Yori on the other hand, had already caught the disease. The violence of his father had flowed through to her. The way she had slapped Simon had made it glaringly apparent.

She had forfeited herself for her brother. It was a conscious exchange. She had willingly made the decision, and it was final. The next few years would be difficult, but she could handle it. She would force herself to.

There was a loud knock at the door downstairs.

Yori stiffened. She didn't want to see anybody now, or more importantly, she didn't want anybody to see her. She stayed in the dark bathroom, deciding not to answer. Whoever it was would eventually go away.

There was another knock, louder and more insistent this time.

Of all times why did somebody have to come to her house today? She wanted nothing else than to be alone, but reluctantly left the bathroom and made her way down the stairs, trying to steady her footsteps so it wouldn't hurt her side.

She was careful to be quiet as she walked to the entryway. She wasn't sure if she wanted whoever it was to know she was there. She pressed her palms against the cool surface of the door to peer through the small peep hole in the middle. Through the distorted view, she could see one blond vampire, in dark sunglasses, peering back at her.

"Yori-chan I can hear you. Open up!" She heard him order from the other side.

Out of anybody that knew her, Aidou was the last person she wanted to see.

"Go away!" she yelled back at him. She had to stop him from seeing her! She couldn't bear the thought of what he might say. He would probably call her a pathetically weak human and tell her how vampires were so much stronger. Or even worse, he would just look at her in disgust.

"Yori-chan just open the door!"

She leaned her forehead against the door trying to decide what to do. Her heart was pounding and she felt her hands start to tremble. She was probably more afraid now than she had been the first night she found out he was a vampire.

"Just leave Aidou! I don't want to see you!" It was close to the truth.

He was quiet for a minute, and she pictured him running a hand through his hair. It almost brought tears to her eyes.

Then she felt the door vibrate as he tried the knob. Was he going to force his way in if she didn't see him?

"Please Aidou, Just leave me alone!" she tried again, hoping her voice didn't betray her desperation.

"Yori-chan, what is the big deal?!" He sounded even more agitated than before. "I can always just break in myself!" he threatened.

There was no way he would leave unless she let him see her, but there was also no way she would let him inside. Maybe if she just opened it a little, it would be enough to keep him from bursting in, then she could still convince him to leave.

Her palm was sweating as she turned the metal doorknob, cracking the door open barely an inch, effectively hiding herself while still being able to see him. It helped that it was dark in the house, while the sun was glaring outside.

"Go away, Aidou-sempai." She spoke more softly this time, again purposely using his family name. He looked different today. His clothes were formal as usual, but unlike normal, they were haphazardly put together. Instead of the normal suit and tie, he had on just a t-shirt and a long jacket with the collar lifted up. It made her nervous that she couldn't see his eyes through the dark sunglasses.

"I came here to take you back." he stated, as if he had already made the decision for her.

She glanced behind him, and noticed the sedan pulled up in front of the house. Kain was leaning against the car, also wearing sunglasses, with his hands in his pockets. If someone in the area had been watching, it would have looked like the FBI was there to investigate.

"I'll be going back soon anyways so you don't have to." She told him. At this point she would say anything to get him to go away.

"You can't stay here!" he persisted.

"Yes I can." She attempted to keep her voice calm.

"Then how will you be getting back?"

"I'll call for a cab."

"That's stupid. There's a car here right now that can take you back."

She knew what he said made sense, but she still wouldn't give in. "I'm not discussing this. I'll go back later." She said, putting her foot down.

She shut the door and walked back into the house only to have it opened from behind her. He was being incredibly persistent and it was starting to scare her. He stepped inside, but she kept her back to him so he couldn't look at her. _Please just leave, _she mentally tried to command him.

"How can you stay in a place like this?" His voice held obvious disgust as he took in his surroundings.

It hurt to have him, of all people, judging her just like everybody at school. Most people would find the inside of the house appalling, but Aidou would find it unlivable. She knew her sweatshirt and jeans made her fit in with the setting. She looked completely different than she did in her school uniform. None of this really mattered though, because even if you took the objects away, she belonged here and he didn't.

"I wouldn't expect youto understand." she said. It had already become obvious to her how he had lived his life. It was in the way he dressed and spoke. His clothes were always expensive and when he did use manners, they were very formal. He would never be able to understand what was important to her, or why there were more important things in her life than comfort.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She sighed, and yet again, regretted it. She pressed her hand against the bruises through her sweatshirt. She was so tired, she really didn't feel like arguing with him. "Whatever. I'm going up to my room. Please leave."

She walked a few steps, only to have him grab her arm to swing her around. She let out a surprised yelp of pain as his fingers closed roughly over bruises that she had thought were healed.

He instantly let go of her arm, surprised it he had hurt her.

"Wha..." he started to say something but stopped when he saw her face. She couldn't see his eyes through his sunglasses but she could tell by the way he reacted that he had seen the bruise on her cheek.

She quickly turned back around so her back was to him, horrified that he had seen her. She knew it looked disgusting. After all, she had spent hours in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, wishing she could disappear.

"Yori-chan, what happened?" he said quietly from behind her.

Why did he have to be nice to her? It was making this more difficult.

"You can't understand this, Aidou." Her voice shook, but she spoke her thoughts exactly.

Before she could react, Aidou grabbed the hand of her injured arm turning her to face him and yanked up the sleeve. She tried to pull away but he firmly gripped her wrist. He held her arm out and stilled when he saw the darkened skin.

It was then he took off his sunglasses, and she watched helplessly as his blue eyes looked at the injury. It was pointless now. She knew the bruise on her arm was in the shape of a handprint. It would be completely obvious.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to watch him as he looked at her. She didn't want to see what kind of expression he would have when he realized what had happened. What would he say? The thought frightened her so much that she simply stood motionless, frozen in time, unable to stop what was happening.

He held her wrist , turning it from one side to the other. His other hand lifted to run his fingers along the bruise, causing her hairs to stand on end. He didn't say anything for what felt like hours, allowing time to still as he quietly inspected her arm. The penetrating silence felt like it was closing in on her. She actually felt him looking at her, as if his eyes were touching her skin.

She flinched when she felt his fingers brush along her cheek, touching her where Simon's father had hit her before, but it didn't stop him. He just allowed his hand stay, holding her face gently. He was putting the pieces together, and she felt as though he was touching her in the most intimate of places.

"Where else did he hurt you?" His tone was soft but demanding.

She shook her head weakly. There was no way she could speak now. The walls she had worked so hard to build were starting to crumble. How had she let this happen? Her entire life had been built around hiding things from others. She had worked so hard to protect herself only to be taken apart piece by piece in front of someone who could never understand her.

"Tell me Yori-chan." By the tone of his voice, it was obvious he wouldn't let it go.

She stood motionless, desperately wanting to hide, but unable to stop herself from being exposed. She felt like she was on stage completely naked. His blue eyes were looking at all of her secrets. Hot tears pressed at the corners of her eyes, and a thick lump formed in her throat, threatening to shut her down. It made speaking impossible.

Instead, she took one shaky hand and pressed it against her side.

Out of instinct alone, she kept her hand there when he tried to move it. She grabbed a fist full of the fabric and held it protectively against her body. She still wanted to stop this from happening.

"Yori, honey. I just want to look. I'm not going to hurt you ok?"

Oh how she wished that was true. He had no idea how much this was hurting her. The emotional pain she was feeling in that moment was far more powerful than any physical pain she had ever endured. She felt the room closing in around her. It was too overwhelming. Tears started to fall down her cheeks, and she opened her eyes, trying to see him through her blurry vision. He was just a watery mixture of blond hair and blue eyes, standing directly in front of her.

He pressed a hand against her cheek, wiping tears away with his thumb. His other hand gently moved over hers, coaxing her to relax. The feel of his warm palm over her hand brought her to slowly release the tension in her fingers, allowing him to hold her hand in his and move it away from her side.

He was incredibly careful when he took her sweater in his hands, lifting it to reveal everything under her breast.

She heard him hiss as he took in a sharp breathe and held it.

She knew he could see the darkened flesh along her ribs. Everything was on display for him and she could no longer stop herself from sobbing. Her entire body began to shake. He lowered her sweatshirt and wrapped his hand around her head, pulling it to his chest.

Yori sobbed uncontrollably. She clutched the fabric of his clothes as she pressed her face into him. Salty tears flowed in streams down her cheeks, dampening his expensively tailored jacket.

"Where is he?" he asked. The barely controlled rage was hidden somewhere in his voice.

Still unable to speak, Yori just shook her head against his chest.

He was silent for a minute, then said, "We're leaving."

It was a statement, not a suggestion.

* * *

When Kain saw Aidou and Yori come out of the house he instantly knew something was wrong. Aidou was carrying her in his arms like a child, one hand around her back and the other under her knees. To his further dismay, Yori was sobbing and gripping onto the front of Aidou's shirt.

Kain stood up and tried to ask Aidou what was wrong. "Hanabusa wha..."

"He's been hurting her." Aidou's voice was deadly serious and Kain knew better than to try to ask any more questions.

Kain didn't say anything for the entire ride back to school either. He just watched the two through the rear view mirror. She practically sat on Aidou's lap for the entire drive and she didn't seem like she would ever stop crying. Aidou looked worried about her, but there was also something else in his eyes. Kain thought maybe he saw them flash red but it was gone before he could tell for sure.

_This is bad._

By the time the car arrived at the gate to Cross Academy the sun was starting to set, the sky had turned into a mixture of orange and red that seemed to match the colors of the fall leaves on the surrounding trees. It was getting late enough that the night class students would be waking up soon. They needed to hurry if they were going to get back without being noticed.

When the car stopped, Yori stopped crying as well. She lifted her head and took in her surroundings. Her eyes were red and puffy, but then widened as she recognized they were back at school.

"Wait, I have to go back home." she said, as she pushed her hands against Aidou's chest, trying to remove herself from his arms.

He didn't let go of her. "You are not going back there." He said it with a commanding tone.

"You can't tell me what to do." she said, but Aidou ignored her.

He grabbed onto her and slid out of the car, still holding her like a child, but the girl didn't seem to be willing to give up. She hit her fists against his chest the entire time. Even as he took her out of the car and stood up outside, he still had to grip her in his arms. Kain got out as well, stepping around the car to the struggling couple.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. As she shoved her arms against him, trying to break free.

The scene was heartbreaking. Kain watched as the girl started to completely lose her senses as his cousin continued to try to hold onto her. She had moved enough that he could now see the bruise on her face, and Kain instantly understood what was going on. He had to admit, as much as this was against her will, he agreed with Aidou. She should not be returning home.

"Yori stop it!" Aidou's voice was desperate as he tried to stop her from struggling.

"Let go of me!" she started to fight against him more violently, kicking her feet and pounding her fists against his chest. Aidou was trying to hold her but not hurt her at the same time, and when she used her entire weight to push against him, he let her break free. She managed to get her feet on the ground, but Aidou instantly turned her around and held her against the car, holding her wrists at her sides, trying desperately to restrain her.

This only made things worse. The girl started screaming as if she was about to be murdered, kicking at Aidou's shins and jerking her arms in her attempts to get free.

"Yori! I'm not going to hurt you! Calm down!" Aidou was yelling at her, at a complete loss about what to do.

Kain could tell this was killing his cousin. Aidou's blue eyes were filled with concern and he couldn't take it anymore. He stepped up to the pair and placed his hand on Yori's forehead.

"Sleep." he gave the strong mental suggestion.

It worked. The girl fell asleep within seconds, limply collapsing in Aidou's arms as her hands fell to her sides. Kain had to at least give her credit for putting up a decent struggle against a vampire noble.

They needed to talk about this, "Hanabusa..."

"I'm going to kill the bastard that did this to her." Aidou's voice was deadly serious.

There had to be a way to get through to him. Kain decided to be forward and say the most obvious problem with his cousin's line of thinking. "If you do that, Kaname will kill you."

"Kaname fucking knew about this." he responded as he gripped his arms more tightly around Yori, obviously trying to hold back his anger.

Kain didn't know what to say to that, but he felt they should stick to the original plan. "Don't do anything yet. Lets just get her to her dorm and get back before he realizes we're gone."

Aidou thought about this for a minute. Then he looked down at the girl in his arms. "She sounds like she'll try to go back if I don't watch her."

From the way the girl had been acting a few seconds ago it seemed like that was a distinct possibility. There was one other option still. "Lets take her to our room."

Aidou looked at him like he was crazy. "Do you _want_ Kaname to kill me?"

Just then there was a sound from behind them. Somebody was hiding nearby. Aidou figured it out quickly. "What do you want Seiren?"

He said it at a normal volume as if he was speaking to someone next to him, but Seiren easily heard it.

The white haired vampire jumped down from a tree and onto the pavement several feet away from them. Her face was completely blank, showing no reaction to the fact she had been discovered. "I am ordered to stop you if you try to leave." She said in a monotone voice.

This seemed to anger Aidou further. "Do you honestly think you're capable of stopping me?" His voice was menacing.

Again she showed no reaction, and Kain took the opportunity to speak before she could respond. "I would help her."

Aidou looked at his cousin incredulously. "What the fuck, Akatsuki!"

Kain hated turning on his own cousin, but it was for his own protection. "If I don't, you'll get yourself killed."

Aidou held onto Yori with one arm and ran his hand through his hair, obviously trying to figure out how to deal with this. Kain and Seiren stood in silence, both ready to spring into action if the blond vampire decided to make a move.

Seiren broke the silence by speaking. "He said you can bring the human."

Aidou's eyes widened slightly, as he seemed to realize something else, but whatever his thoughts were he didn't speak them aloud.

Kain let out a breath of relief as Aidou lifted Yori in his arms and walked in the direction of the moon dorms. They walked in silence and Seiren's eyes didn't leave Aidou the entire time.

The night class dorm was silent when they arrived. Apparently, nobody was awake yet. The girl wasn't bleeding, so it would be awhile before the other vampires would notice, but Kaname would know instantly, even if Seiren didn't report it to him.

Kain wasn't surprised when Seiren followed Aidou to his room, and stood outside in the hallway even after he shut the door. She had obviously been ordered to stop him if he tried to leave.

Kain stood at the top of the stairs in the main lobby. He wasn't sure what to do, and stood there nervously trying to decide. Finally, after realizing he had no other options, he walked down the hallway to Kaname's door and knocked.

* * *

**I made dramatic last minute changes to this chapter and the next so I hope they come out ok.**

**The next chapter actually has three different versions. (yes I know, I have no life) so your comments could actually affect the outcome. Too bad this isn't one of those books where you get to pick what the characters do and go to a certain page. =p**


	15. Dark Submission

**Disclaimer: This fanfiction is free.**

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"You may enter." Kaname's voice said from inside his office.

Kain opened the door and let himself in. The sunset was visible from the large window at the back of the room, and an orange light was coming through. Kaname stood near the window, but just far enough away to stay in the shadows as he gazed through the glass at something invisible outside. Kain shouldn't have been surprised that Kaname was awake. The pureblood had probably been waiting for them to return. He wasn't sure how to start explaining things, so he just started with the most immediate problem.

"Hanabusa is going to kill him." Kain didn't bother to explain who he was talking about, it was becoming more and more obvious that the pureblood already knew.

Kaname continued to gaze out the window, not showing any reaction. "I'm surprised your here reporting this to me."

Kain shifted with his hands in his pockets, and looked down at the floor. He hated that he was doing this, but he really didn't have any choice. "He seems to have lost his respect for you, and I don't know if I can stop him."

Kaname let out a long sigh but didn't seem surprised by Kain's words. "I had hoped to prevent this." he said.

At this Kain looked up at the pureblood. He knew that this was Kaname's reason for trying to stop Aidou from going to get her. He was just surprised that Kaname had felt the need to explain his actions. Was it possible the pureblood felt regret?

He decided not to speak his mind and simply said. "I know, Kaname-sama."

Kaname stepped away from the window and turned to look at Kain with dark eyes. "I will not allow this to happen."

* * *

Aidou laid Yori on his bed when he reached his room. He set her on her side that wasn't injured and gently rested her head against the pillow. The drapes were still open from when he and Kain had snuck out earlier and a soft light shone through, falling on the bed as if the sun was watching her.

He used his hand to brush wayward strands of hair away from her face. She looked peaceful. Her eyes were closed, her face was relaxed, her lips were slightly parted and her breathing was deep and even. He sat on the bed next to her, careful not to shake the mattress and wake her up. With his hand he took the grey cloth of her shirt and lifted it to reveal the bruises that covered her side. He couldn't believe how bad it was. The flesh was dark all along her ribs and strongly contrasted with her pale skin. He gently brushed his fingers along the bruises as if needing to touch them to believe they were really there.

It was strange how even though she was only human, he had somehow come to think of her as being uniquely strong. Perhaps it was the way she always argued with him, displaying a fierce fighting spirit. Now he felt differently as he looked at her on his bed. She seemed incredibly small. She barely took up a fourth of the bed and was practically swimming in her oversized sweatshirt.

His hand started to shake as he tried to repress the growing rage that darkened his vision. The fact that she was human and unable to protect herself the way a vampire could, only served to feed his anger. He couldn't help but picture in his mind the events that lead to these injuries. Everything fell into place, the alcohol around the house, the way Yori had been so evasive, the bruise he had seen on her knee. She had endured it silently, not even telling him.

This human was definitely going to die by his hand. It was just a matter of getting around the pureblood, which was no small task. He realized he had probably just walked right into Kaname's trap. The pureblood had him right where he wanted him now. It would be a long time before Kaname's watch would let up enough so that he could leave, and when that happened, the opportunity would not be wasted. Until then, he would have to play the part.

Aidou didn't react when Kain opened the door to the room and turned on the light. He was still deep in thought as he stared down at Yori. It wasn't until Kain spoke that he realized he was there.

"It's worse than I had imagined." Kain said as he gazed down at the injury to Yori's side.

Aidou gently lowered her sweatshirt, covering her exposed skin. He knew she wouldn't want others to see it. He stood up to face his cousin.

"How did your conversation go?" Aidou didn't care about the answer. He wanted Kain to know that he wasn't deceived.

Kain looked surprised that he had figured out. Really, they grew up together, you'd think at least his own cousin would know him enough to give him that much credit. "Kaname wants to see you." Kain avoided his gaze.

Aidou didn't respond. He walked past his traitorous cousin to the door.

"I did it for your own good, Hanabusa." Kain's guilt was obvious with those words.

Aidou stopped but didn't turn around to speak. "You have no idea what's good for me." He said before stepping to the door and walking out of the room.

He wasn't surprised to see Seiren in the hallway. The stoic white haired vampire had obviously been ordered to continue watching him, and was standing at attention with a perfectly blank face. He ignored her as he walked past her towards Kaname's door and she followed him down the hallway.

When he got to Kaname's door and she was still there he finally said. "It's not like I could kill him even if I wanted to."

She didn't respond. That vampire was like a trained robot. She didn't show any emotion or even recognition that he'd spoken to her.

So, he knocked on the door.

"You may enter." Kaname's deep voice sounded from inside.

Aidou's palms were sweating as he turned the knob. He wasn't sure how this was going to go. Seiren remained in the hallway as he stepped into the dark room and shut the door behind him.

He tried to ignore the cold clasp of fear in his chest as he entered. The drapes were over the window and the room was pitch black. If he hadn't had a vampire's vision, he wouldn't have been able to see anything at all. It wasn't the dark that scared him though. It was the fact that he couldn't see or hear Kaname anywhere in the room. The dark silence seemed to enclose around him, making it difficult to breathe.

"Aidou." a deep male voice spoke from right next to him.

Aidou had to control his instinct to jump away from the sound. He knew Kaname was doing this to intimidate him, he just didn't want the pureblood to know that it was working.

"Kaname-sama." he kept his voice calm as he said the name in greeting. Without moving, he looked to the side where Kaname's voice had been coming from, but there was nothing there. He was starting to get the distinct impression that he might have just walked to his death.

"You vow to follow me, yet you continue to defy me." His voice was even and frighteningly calm.

Aidou still didn't know where the pureblood was, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He tried to swallow before he spoke. "I do not intend to go against your orders Kaname-sama." he said, to the empty space in front of him.

That was when Kaname decided to reveal himself. The pureblood was so fast he hadn't even detected the movement. Aidou's entire body froze as the dark eyes that looked down on him caused him to feel paralyzed. Kaname stood barely a foot in front of him and spoke while looking at him directly.

"Do not lie to me Aidou." The pureblood didn't show emotion but there was a brief flash in his eyes.

Aidou's heart started to pound as he realized it wouldn't matter what he said tonight. If he lied again, it would probably either mean his death, or a whole hell of a lot of pain.

So, he spoke his mind. "Why didn't you let me stop her from going?" He asked, while bravely looking Kaname right in the eyes.

"Because it didn't matter." Kaname said coldly.

Aidou's trembling hands formed into tight fists at Kaname's words. He desperately tried to push back the rage that pressed at his skin. "How can you say that?" he tried to control his voice as he spoke.

Kaname showed no emotion when he decided to speak. "This is not the first time, and it is not the last. Your reaction would be the same no matter how you found out."

The pureblood spoke the truth. If he had found out some other way, the results would be the same, but how long would it have continued if he hadn't snuck out that day and found out on his own. The images started to burn into his mind as he imagined Yori being hurt over and over again with nobody to protect her. His entire body tensed as vivid scenes flashed through his mind.

"It will be the last time." His voice was barely controlled as the room that had at first looked black was now being covered with a red haze as his vision started to fog. The rage was building inside of him at a relentless pace.

"You will control yourself Aidou." It was an obvious warning.

He couldn't. He felt ice forming at his feet even as he tried to stop it. The next words he spoke were not intended to be spoken aloud, but were so powerful in his mind that they came out in his voice as well.

"It is my right to kill him."

The words had barely left his mouth before he found himself slammed up against the wall face forward. His head hit painfully against the hard surface and his hands were drawn up his back high enough to tear the muscles in his shoulders. It had happened so fast he hadn't even had time to feel afraid, let alone retaliate.

"You will not kill a human." Kaname's voice was deep and menacing from right behind his ear. "Understand?"

That was when the intensity of fright really kicked in. It seemed to crawl up his skin and freeze his chest. It made him intensely aware of the biting pain in his shoulders as pure adrenaline coursed through his veins. He couldn't control the ice that spread along the floor and up the wall underneath him. It was an instinctual reaction to defend himself against the pureblood predator.

Kaname violently pulled him away from the wall just enough to smash him back up against it again. It knocked the wind out of him and his neck jerked before his head hit the now freezing surface. The force was hard enough to cause his forehead to crack. He smelled the scent of his own blood as it ran from above his eye to his chin and dripped to the floor.

"Do you understand!" The normally calm pureblood yelled in anger.

Being held like this was humiliating and he wanted to struggle, but fear had replaced the fog of rage and now he knew it was futile. The pureblood's hold was unbreakable. He didn't stand a chance.

He heard himself speak. "Yes Kaname-sama."

Kaname released him roughly, and Aidou fell to the floor. The pureblood left the room, not bothering to shut the door behind him, allowing light to come in through the hallway.

Aidou stayed on his knees on the floor for several minutes, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. He was fairly certain he had just narrowly escaped his own death. From all the times he had done something to piss off Kaname, this had by far been the worst. There had always been lines he had respected and refused to cross, but now they seemed blurred.

He had felt himself acting like the types of vampires he had looked down upon who lose their self control. Still, he couldn't bring himself to feel shame, only anger that he couldn't do what he felt needed to be done. He wanted to feel the honor that had originally come with following Kaname. He just didn't know if he could ever have faith in the pureblood again.

It took him a long time but he eventually stood up. The muscles in his shoulders and the cut on his forehead were already beginning to heal. He walked back into the hallway and ignored Seiren as she followed him to his room and stood outside after he shut the door behind him.

He looked over to the girl on the bed who was still blissfully asleep. Looking at her on his bed and in his room, with bruises from another man made him feel strong waves of possessiveness. How long had this been going on? The thought disturbed him to the point of making his heart clench. He had never thought this could happen to someone like her.

If she hadn't been so secretive in the first place, he could have helped her before this had happened. He needed to know the details, or else he would never be able to stop himself from trying to kill the human who did this. He would have to find a way to make her answer. She would have to stop avoiding his questions that were now a hundred times more important than they had been before. If she didn't open up about this he felt he would never be able to recover his honor.

Finally, after allowing all these thoughts to rush through his head, he pulled a chair by the bed to sit down. He stayed there the entire night, protectively watching her sleep.

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**I would love to know your reaction...whatever it may be.**


	16. A Frozen Fuzzy Feeling

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Yori awoke from a deep sleep in the softest, most comfortable bed she had ever slept in. With her eyes closed she brushed her hand along silk sheets and buried her nose into a soft downy pillow with a lavender scent. At first she was reluctant to open her eyes, but eventually, curiosity got the better of her.

The first thing she saw was Aidou. He was leaning back in a wooden chair next to the bed, wearing the same clothes he had shown up to her house in, minus the jacket. His dark shirt and pants were both wrinkled. His legs were crossed, and he was reading a thick book. Her chest almost hurt at the sight of him. It was the best scene she could have possibly opened her eyes to.

He seemed very involved in whatever he was reading and didn't notice that she was awake. She squinted through her sleepy haze to try to make out the title of the book...._Advanced Theory in Quantum Mechanics_...

_Was he honestly reading that? _She had no idea he liked to read anything at all, let alone books on quantum mechanics...whatever that was.

"Why are you reading that?"

His head shot up from his book. "Oh your awake." Then he seemed to remember what she asked and looked back down at the book in his hands as if he had forgotten it was there. "Just something to keep my mind busy." he said absentmindedly and set the book on the nightstand.

The room was dark but she could tell that everything was expensive. Thick drapes covered the windows, blocking out any possibility of light coming through. The furniture looked antique but it was all new and polished and there was a chandelier that hung in the middle of the room. The bed she was in had bed posts that reached almost to the ceiling, with a purple cloth cover across the top. It was very extravagant, very Aidou.

"Is this your room?" she asked anyways.

"Yeah, its mine." he leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Your pillows smell nice."

"Yori...."

She could tell by the tone of his voice he was about to say something serious, so she instantly asked another question.

"Do you read a lot?"

It distracted him. "Uh yeah when I get bored."

She thought her plan had worked, but then he spoke again. "How long has this been going on?"

"How long has what been going on?" she pretended she didn't know what he was talking about.

"How long has he been hurting you?" His voice lowered to a much more serious tone.

His question made her heart skip a beat. She hadn't expected him to be so direct. This question was harder to avoid, but she could still manage. "Not that long."

He used his hand to rub the skin between his eyes. She could tell he hated that she was being evasive, but she couldn't help herself. She strongly desired to avoid the topic. She was too well practiced at keeping it inside. It felt unnatural to let it out.

"Yori..." he started again.

"I don't want to talk about it, Hanabusa." she enunciated his name almost forcefully, hoping he would get the point.

"Have you ever talked about it before?" he asked.

"No"

"Well you have to sometime."

"No I don't."

"Yori-chan, if your so secretive then people can't help you."

"I don't need any help."

"Yes you do!" he yelled. "How can you not see this?" he sounded agitated.

"I'm not talking about this." she stated firmly.

He looked at her in silence as if trying to decide how to approach her.

Yori started to feel very worried about being here with him. Not only was she in a building full of vampires, but this one was trying to push repressed feelings out of her that made it difficult to breathe.

If she had learned anything about him in the past week it was that he was incredibly persistent. He probably wouldn't ever stop asking.

It wasn't only the questions though. She could feel a small tug in her chest every time she looked at him. She wasn't really sure when she had let her feelings get so out of control, but now that she acknowledged it she knew she needed to put distance between them. He would never be able to reciprocate her feelings. She would be a fool to believe he could ever love her.

Yori put a hand over her chest and closed her eyes. He was probably here taking care of her out of obligation and she hated that. Even if he did want to help her, she couldn't bear the thought of him pitying her.

She started to feel trapped and instantly wanted to leave. The room started to feel like a cage that imprisoned her, making her chest feel tight. She couldn't go to her dorm room, and she didn't want to go home. But none of that mattered, because she just couldn't stay here with him.

With that thought she lifted herself up. The pain from moving for the first time in the morning was like a dagger going through her side, but she didn't let that stop her. She had endured pain like this before and she could endure it again.

She had managed to sit completely upright before Aidou was there putting his hands on her shoulders, stopping her progress. "Yori-chan, where are you going?"

Since he held her shoulders still she decided to move her legs instead. Taking a deep breath to brace herself for the pain, she gritted her teeth and swung them to the side of the bed so that her knees could bend off the edge.

"Yori stop it! Your hurting yourself! Just lay down!" he was starting to sound frantic. He held onto her shoulders, not allowing her to move any farther.

Yori started to feel like she might suffocate. The hands on her shoulders were gripping her incredibly tightly and she couldn't move. Not only that, but he was standing over her, blocking her escape. He didn't seem to understand that she hated being restrained like this. It was too close to what had just happened to her at home, and she couldn't help but feel the beginning of needles of fear start to penetrate her skin. Her breathing started to come in short gasps and it felt like a hand was squeezing her chest.

"Don't touch me!" The urgency in her voice betrayed her.

He let go of her instantly, detecting the fear in her voice. He took a step back and stared at her. "You think I'm going to hurt you." He said, as if the realization had just hit him.

She turned her head to look away from him. She felt both relieved that she wasn't being restrained anymore and ashamed of her own instinctual reaction.

"I would never hurt you." he said softly.

He sounded as if she had hurt his feelings, and she looked up at him to see that his eyes were filled with concern. He was still standing only a few feet in front of her as she sat on the edge of the bed. He raised a hand towards her face and she couldn't help but flinch. The memories were too fresh and it was impossible to control the way her body reacted to that type of movement.

His hand stopped in mid air only inches away from her cheek. He seemed to be waiting for something, but she didn't know what. She was staring at his hand. He had turned it so his palm was facing up, his fingers looked relaxed, and it was perfectly still. It was starting to look less and less threatening.

He moved it to touch the side of her face, and this time she forced herself to remain still. She let him touch her cheek. The touch was so light that his fingers barely brushed against her skin. She felt herself relax into his hand as her breathing started to come easier.

"I will never hurt you." he said again, a little louder this time. "Do you know that?"

Yori didn't say anything. Her heart was beating incredibly fast and she didn't know if it was from the initial fear or the warm touch of his fingers against her skin.

Finally, she gave up on trying to speak and just nodded into his hand.

He sighed with relief. "I want you to stay here with me." he said.

Those were words she had wanted to hear before. Her heart twisted painfully. She desperately wanted to stay but if he continued to speak to her like that she might just break in half. At the same time, she had the odd sensation that she was unusually safe here with him. The mixture of feelings seemed to paralyze her mind and she didn't know what to say.

He seemed to notice her indecision so he spoke again. "Just stay until you feel better at least."

She wondered when he thought that would happen, because she would have liked to know. But she didn't speak that thought. Instead, she just gave a slight nod.

After awhile, she let him put his hands on her shoulders, coaxing her to lay back down. Her muscles thanked her as she relaxed again, relieved to not be forced to move. Aidou immediately got in bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her waste. She could tell he was doing it to make her stay still, but this time it didn't cause her to feel fear. Instead it was comforting.

She turned to face him so she could lay on her good side. It always hurt so much worse in the morning, especially when she tried to get up or move for the first time. She winced from the movement, but felt better when she got into the new position.

His hand moved to her hip, and started sliding under her sweatshirt.

"Hanabusa..." she started to say something but stopped when she noticed that his hand wasn't warm. It was ice cold! How did he do that?

He started to move his hand higher against her bare skin causing her to get goosebumps along the way. Normally she would have worried that he was trying to seduce her, but at this time there were parts of her that were much more sensitive. She squeezed her eyes closed. She didn't want him to touch her there.

She started to say something. "I...."

"Shhhhh." he hushed her before she could say anything, as he moved his freezing hand gently over the injury under her shirt. His hand was like a cool press against her hot and swollen skin. It soothed away pain causing her muscles to relax. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the mattress.

When she opened her eyes again, his face was incredibly close to hers. Even though he looked tired his eyes were still bright blue and his lips were pouting slightly. As always, he was a sight for sore eyes. She wondered if he knew how good he looked like that.

"Is that better?" he asked without breaking eye contact.

She could only nod. He had her in a trance with the cold of his hands matching his icy blue eyes.

He continued to stare at her without blinking and it started to make her uncomfortable so she broke the silence by talking.

"Who shares this room with you?" she asked noticing the bed across the room.

He let out a breath, as if she had somehow asked a difficult question. Finally he said, "My cousin."

She thought it was strange how he responded. It only made her more curious. "Where is he now?"

He frowned, "Who cares."

She was silent for a minute then asked, "Do you two fight a lot?"

"Not much since we were kids."

So he grew up with his cousin. She guessed she shouldn't have been surprised. It was obvious in the way they interacted. She then realized that she really didn't know much about Aidou. Vampires seemed so mysterious and ethereal. She had never really thought about them having a home and family.

"Whats the rest of your family like?" she asked.

He shrugged a little. "My parents take life pretty seriously, and then there's my sister..."

"Wait" she interrupted him, everything else he had said instantly forgotten. "Let me get this straight. _You _ have a sister?"

He looked at her, seemingly perplexed. "Is there something weird about that?"

She started to laugh. "I just can't believe that _you_ of all people have a sister. Does she have a boyfriend?"

"She better not!" he scowled.

That just made her start to laugh some more. She couldn't resist teasing him about this. "I bet you want her to find a guy who's just like you."

"Whats that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh nothing," she said between giggles. It was funny that he was so clueless about this.

He looked at her seriously. "Its nice to hear you laugh Yori-chan." then he winced a little. "I just wish you weren't laughing at me."

After that it took a long time for her laughter to subside.

When she finally stopped giggling she found herself staring at him again, taking in his features. It was then she realized he had dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a mess and he looked exhausted. It was so unlike him. She wondered how long he had been sitting next to the bed. She lifted her hand to touch his hair. It looked so soft and endearingly messy that she simply couldn't stop herself. "You should get some sleep." she said.

He closed his eyes, but put one of his legs over hers, holding her against the bed. "I don't want you to leave." he said.

"I won't."

Having her rub his hair seemed to relax him, and he closed his eyes sinking into the pillow. "You'll hurt yourself if you try to move." he said with his head buried in the pillow.

"I know." she continued to stroke her fingers through his hair and his breathing started to even.

"Promise me." he said. It seemed like he was barely conscious.

"I promise." She told him truthfully, but he seemed like he was already asleep.

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Aidou was apparently a very deep sleeper, and after a little while his hand on her side started to get warm again. Apparently he couldn't keep it cold while he slept. She laid there with him for close to an hour before she started to get very bored. They ran on completely different schedules, she realized.

She thought about leaving. She really should, but she so didn't want to. She felt safe here, which was strange because she was in a dorm full of vampires. Still, it was a relief to not have to worry about Simon or his father, even if it was just for a little while.

She winced as she sat up, moving his hand out from under her sweatshirt and wriggling her legs out from under his. Her muscles were stiff and sore but if she knew from experience that if she moved around a bit they would start to feel better.

She managed to get up and started to explore his room. She moved some of the drapes aside to let some light through, but was careful to not let it fall on the sleeping Aidou. The light helped and she could see that his side of the room was a disaster while Kain's side was very neat, which kind of amused her. He was probably used to maid service. They had a table in the middle of the room which was covered in junk. It had various things on it from forks to hankerchiefs to different pens and pencils. What was all this stuff? It seemed random.

She moved over to his desk and noticed he had stacks of books and papers piled up on the floor next to it. That got her hopes up that maybe he would have a decent book to read, which could hopefully entertain her for a few hours. Unfortunately, upon scanning the titles, she realized they were not only non-fiction, but they were all on incredibly boring topics from physics to chemistry to calculus. Seems like they both liked to read but were interested in completely different subjects.

Something caught her eye under the bed, and she bent down to look at it, grimacing slightly from the painful movement. It was worth it though because what she found surprised her.

It was a wire bound notebook with a clear plastic cover. _The Enigma of History and Mathematics by Hanabusa Aidou._ That made her smile, seemed like deep down he was kind of a nerd. She was thinking at least she would have something to read, but then she opened it and realized it was practically written in a different language. Exactly how smart was he? She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Luckily, there was also a huge box of pocky under the bed, which made her much more happy than the available reading materials.

Just then somebody knocked on the door. She instantly felt anxious and stood still without answering. The door opened anyways, revealing Aidou's cousin as he stepped inside.

"Oh sorry." Yori said uncomfortably. "You probably want to sleep here."

He looked at her apparently surprised she was up. "It's fine." he said, but didn't give any explanation.

His hands were full of things and he walked over and set them on the table. "Here this stuff is for you." he said curtly.

She looked over to see he had set down a pile of various things including toiletries and a nightgown. How long did he think she would stay here?

"I don't need that stuff. I'll be leaving tonight." She explained.

At this Kain turned to look at her seriously. He looked like maybe he wanted to say something but then he seemed to decide not to. He simply headed back to the door. He stopped as if he just remembered something else. "When he wakes up tell Hanabusa to go talk to him."

"Him?"

"He'll know who." It was all he said before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

After that, Yori managed to find a book on world history on Kain's bed, which wasn't a great choice but it was a whole lot better than reading books full of math problems.

When Aidou woke up it was already dark outside and she was leaning back against the wall on the bed, reading about ancient Egypt and eating chocolate pocky.

"I see you found my candy stash." an annoyed voice said.

"mmmhmmm" Yori said as she stayed buried in the book. Her mouth was full and she was finding that world history was more interesting than she thought it would be.

"Why don't you lay down with me?" he said with a deep voice and she looked over to see him laying on his side and touching the covers next to him suggestively. When he noticed he got her attention he winked at her.

She couldn't help but laugh at him. "Does that always work for you?"

He pouted adorably. "Usually."

Then she remembered what Kain had said. "Your cousin told me to tell you, 'go talk to him.'"

That seemed to put him in a sour mood. "Yeah I'll do it when I get to it."

Yori decided not to press him further about it. It wasn't really any of her business anyways. So, she went back to reading her book, until a hand reached out and snatched it away from her.

"Hey!" She reached over to grab it. "I was reading that!"

She should have known better than to fall for that, because the second she reached for it he pulled her down next to him. She was amazed at how fast he was. It must have had something to do with him being a vampire.

As if reading her mind she felt his hand against her neck, but then he used it to turn her head to face him.

He spoke with his blue eyes staring directly into hers. "Yori I want you to talk about it."

She instantly buried her head in the pillow, needing to hide somehow. The way he looked at her and asked her things like this made him seem almost innocent. It was so obvious that he didn't understand. Like everyone else, he had this idea that talking about it would make her feel better, when in reality it would only make her relive the experience. When she was reminded of the things that happened in that house vivid memories would rush through her mind and she would react in a physical way. It would be as if it were happening all over again. Even him just asking the simplest of questions made her internally shudder.

"I can't." Even though her mind was rushing through so many thoughts that she couldn't voice aloud, these two words were very clear to her.

"You can't talk about it at all?"

She wished she could think of some way to make him understand. "Even if I wanted to....I couldn't."

She felt him move closer to her, and she could feel his body heat from inches away. Somehow having him close made her feel like she was being safely hidden. It was slightly comforting. He pressed his forehead against her. Her face was still in the pillow and she couldn't see him, but she could feel his breath on her cheek when he spoke.

"If I ask you some questions can you try?" His voice was soft and mesmerizing.

He still didn't seem to understand, but she just nodded her head.

He let out a breath. "Did he hurt you every time you went home?"

She gripped the sheets in between them. If this question would have required her to use her voice there would have been no way she could have answered it. Her throat closed and she felt hot, but she was able to nod.

He was quiet for a minute. Maybe he could see how difficult this was for her. "Did you ever try to leave?"

This question was a little easier. She was able to speak, but her voice still came out small. "No"

She expected him to ask why but instead he asked something else. "Did you try to fight back?"

For the first time, Yori felt like she actually wanted to tell somebody, but it was like her body wouldn't let her. She wished she could say more words, but only one came out. "Yes."

She felt the mattress give as he moved even closer to her. He wrapped his arm round her. It made her feel warmer. His deep voice came from next to her ear. "Were you scared to go back there?"

If it had been anybody else asking her this question she probably would have lied, but each question he asked seemed to pull off another layer.

She took a shaky breath. "Yes"

He started to rub his hand up and down her back. She could tell he was trying to comfort her, but she hardly felt it. With that last question her body became some kind of foreign object. When she thought about these things it felt like it didn't belong to her, because she had learned to disassociate herself from it. The vivid memories of countless nights of being afraid could overtake her, and this was the best way of coping.

He didn't seem to notice how she was feeling, but that didn't matter because it couldn't be helped. So, he persisted with questions. "You went back because of your brother?"

She nodded.

"Did he hit your brother too?"

This question may have seemed innocent to him, but it ripped a wound in her chest when he asked it. She didn't know why but it shook her more than any of the others. She hadn't been aware that she had started crying, but she noticed that the pillow beneath her face was soaking wet.

She didn't know how she could find her voice, but somehow it was there. "No."

He took a deep breath and she felt the arm around her tense. "He only hit you?" His voice was almost a whisper.

It felt like a knife was being twisted in her chest. Those words shook her to the core, they were things she didn't think about on purpose. She needed to find a reason for why she was the one who received his violent reactions and she was able to forcefully push words out from inside her.

"I always pushed him into it"

She felt him stiffen. "What?" he said it so softly he may not have meant to say it aloud, but she answered because she felt the need to explain herself.

"I always yelled at him when he threatened me, I should have...."

"I can't believe this." he interrupted her. "Your actually making excuses for him." He seemed surprised.

"No I'm not." She said it decisively.

"Yes you are Yori." He argued back.. "It's his fault, not yours."

"I know." she said.

"No, I don't think you do." he said it as if it had just occurred to him.

She started to feel frustrated with him. "Yes I do." she insisted.

He didn't respond. She could tell he didn't believe her, but it didn't really matter. She hadn't expected him to understand. He obviously didn't want to believe the ugly truth of what actually went on between her and Simon's father. She couldn't blame him. She felt that nobody could understand unless they had been there. It was part of the reason she never talked about it.

"Yori-chan." He said. "Don't ever go back there." He spoke firmly.

She was surprised to hear him say it like a command. She didn't know what to say so she remained silent. She thought he would drop it but he didn't.

"Yori look at me."

She turned her head enough to face him. His blue eyes were barely an inch away, looking at her seriously.

"Promise me you won't go back there."

The tears started to fall down her cheeks. This was by far the worst thing he could have possibly asked.

"Promise me Yori-chan." he said it firmly and she knew she would have to answer.

"I promise." She lied.

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**Ugh I had difficulty with this chapter, and I don't think it came out right. I was just so sick of reading it over and over that I had to post it to get it over with.**


	17. Hearts and Temptations

**Disclaimer: I don't own vampire knight or any of it's characters, but if I could I would sell my soul for Aidou.**

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Aidou laid next to Yori on the bed watching her sleep again. It had taken forever to convince her to stay but he had eventually managed. He had held her close after finally getting her to answer the questions he had purposely worded in a yes or no fashion. It was the only way he could think of to get her to talk. He had tried not to let on how disturbing it was, because it had obviously bothered her much more than him. Afterwards she had wanted to leave.

"I should get going Hanabusa." she had said into his hair.

He loved it when she said his name. Something about the way it rolled off her lips with her usual feminine breathy voice drove him crazy.

He hadn't been able to help himself but grip her tightly, but was still careful not to put his hands too closely to the bruises on her side.

"Stay here Yori-chan." he had tried to make his voice sound firm, even though he probably would have begged her if she would have tried to leave.

She had looked unsure of herself. "I really shouldn't."

It seemed like deep down she wanted to stay, so it hadn't been too difficult to convince her to at least wait until it was light outside. When she had finally agreed to it he had even convinced her to put on the nightgown Kain had brought for her. He had secretly thanked his cousin when she came out of the bathroom wearing it. It was obviously one of Ruka's nightgowns, it was sleeveless and made out of a light purple silky material. It was a little big on her since Ruka was taller, but if Yori had any idea how sexy she looked in it she wouldn't have put it on, so he didn't tell her.

It had taken almost an hour, but he had managed to convince her to even stay in his bed. At first he couldn't believe his luck, but then he realized just how difficult it was to keep his hands off of her and his fangs out of her neck as she lay there.

He felt like an ass for thinking about her blood at a time like this, but when she had been laying across from him, on his bed and in between his sheets, he had thought of just about nothing else. He had forced himself to stay at least a couple feet away from her. The only touch he'd allowed himself was to use his hand to put cold on her swollen side.

Now he sat up on the bed. It was dark outside and he had heard some of the other students returning from class. She seemed like she needed sleep anyways. She looked so peaceful when she slept. It seemed like she hadn't slept in years. He still couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through him at seeing her in his bed.

He reached over to touch the side of her face again. The bruise on her cheek was still visible and he closed his eyes, trying to push back more rage at the person who did this to her. He realized now that the way that pathetic excuse for a human had emotionally hurt her was far worse than her physical injuries.

She had even been scared of him. Having her look at him with fear had shook him terribly. If she had been afraid that he would drink her blood it would have been tolerable but the fear that he would try to hurt her made him feel sick to his stomach.

He couldn't believe she had been making excuses for him. She obviously thought it was her fault. He was starting to realize that killing him wouldn't even begin to fix the problem. In fact he had a feeling she would be upset if he killed the human, and right now upsetting Yori was the last thing he wanted to do.

He sighed heavily. He knew she had lied to him. It was in the way she had spoken so softly and averted her eyes. It was obvious he still needed to keep an eye on her, not that he minded doing that. He couldn't deny how good it felt to be with her.

He put his hand over his face. The situation was crazy. Here he was with a human girl and she had become the world to him. He should really try to tell her. Maybe if he could find a way to make her understand she would stay. Not that he would ever let her go back there. He made a mental note to not fall asleep again. Next time she might not be there when he woke up.

He needed to leave her for a few minutes. She seemed like she was in a deep sleep. He listened to her breathing. It was soft and even. He didn't want to go talk to the pureblood. He wanted to put it off indefinitely, but it would probably be better to get it over with.

With that final thought he reluctantly stood up and walked out of the room. Again he wasn't surprised to see Seiren still standing on guard duty in the hallway. He was starting to wonder if she was in fact a robot and therefore didn't need to sleep. Again she followed him down the hallway as he walked to Kaname's door.

This was starting to feel much too similar to the last time he had gone to Kaname's office, and he tried to ignore the chill that ran up his spine. He took a deep breath when he stood outside the door. He would force himself to keep his anger in control this time.

He stood in front of the large ominous door and knocked.

"You may enter." Kaname gave his usual order from inside the door.

This time when Aidou walked inside, Seiren followed him.

Kaname was sitting in his usual position behind his desk with his legs crossed. He was gazing out the open window, and didn't react at all when Aidou entered the room.

Seiren stood next to him and Aidou glanced at her nervously. He didn't want anybody else listening to this conversation.

Even though Kaname didn't turn to face them he seemed to read his thoughts. "You may leave Seiren."

The stoic vampire managed to look reluctant but followed Kaname's command like usual. Aidou had to suppress the urge to stick his tongue out at her as she stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her, leaving Aidou and Kaname alone.

Now that he was here, Aidou had no idea how to start. He glanced nervously at the pureblood and then looked to the floor. "Kaname-sama I..."

"In a way you were right." Kaname calmly interrupted him.

Aidou looked up at the pureblood, surprised at his words. Did he just hear him correctly?

"I would desire to kill him as well." Kaname explained.

This was frustrating. Then why didn't he let him kill the human! "Then let me do it!" He couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth, even though they were far too rude and forward.

Kaname stood up immediately and looked darkly at him. Aidou felt his heart skip a beat as fear rushed through him. He didn't come here to almost get himself killed again.

He instantly bowed, trying to cover his tracks. "I don't understand this Kaname-sama. A human like this does not deserve to live."

He heard Kaname sigh. "I expected more from you Aidou."

Aidou couldn't help himself but feel anger at those words. He stood up straight and attempted to stare him down. "You expect more from me, but you refused to let me protect her!" He desperately wanted Kaname to understand this.

At this, Kaname actually looked away from him, which was something he had never seen the pureblood do. "The purpose was to protect you." he said seriously.

Although what he said was obviously not meant to, it infuriated Aidou. "I don't need you to protect me!" He was so out of line now he should have stopped, but he didn't. "I need you to get out of the way so I can protect my own!"

Kaname did not get angry as he had expected. Instead the pureblood returned to the chair behind his desk and sat down. He took his time to answer as Aidou waited anxiously.

"You are free to leave the night class if you wish." he finally spoke.

Aidou was shocked for a minute. He had already thought about this, but he hadn't expected Kaname to give him the go ahead. This was not what he had come here intending to do. Despite everything that had happened he couldn't deny his devotion to Kaname, even after he felt betrayed. He closed his eyes and gave a small confession.

"I don't want to leave your side Kaname-sama." he said softly.

Again Kaname remained silent, so Aidou kept talking. "But I don't want to leave hers either." When the pureblood still didn't answer he started to get nervous and continued to find himself speaking at a ridiculously loud volume. "I understand now how you feel about humans! I think we should have peace too! I..."

"Aidou." Kaname interrupted him.

Aidou instantly shut up, feeling oddly grateful to be stopped from his speech.

"Out of all of the nobles, I am surprised it is you that has chosen a human." Kaname interrupted him.

Aidou actually felt his cheeks flush and he looked away from Kaname, breaking eye contact. "She is not just a human." He didn't know how to explain his feelings so he simply said, "To me she is much more than that."

Kaname was silent for a minute and gazed at him as if measuring his sincerity. When he finally spoke his voice was even. "You are choosing a difficult life, but I will no longer stop you."

Kaname paused and Aidou looked up to see his dark eyes staring at him almost menacingly. "If you choose to stay here you will never again express the desire to kill a human." It was a direct order.

Aidou shuffled, remembering what he had come here to say in the first place. He closed his eyes and his face felt even warmer. "I'm sorry, Kaname-sama."

Kaname let out yet another long sigh. "You may leave now, Aidou."

Aidou's hands were still shaking as he left the room. That conversation had gone a lot differently than he had expected it to. Of course, Seiren was still outside, guarding the door, and when he started to walk back to his room, she continued to follow him.

Finally, when he got to his room and she was still behind him, he turned around and said. "You suck at following people."

Again she didn't respond. He hadn't really expected her to. He just walked back into his room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Yori was still peacefully asleep on his bed. This time he was smarter about it, and took a healthy dose of blood tablets before laying down next to her. Unfortunately, even with the blood tablets, he still had difficulty keeping his hands off of her.

He laid down behind her, and stared at her figure, which was outlined beautifully by the thin nightgown. He couldn't resist, he reached out a hand and touched her. He started at her thigh, and dragged his hand slowly up the soft fabric to her hip, squeezing it gently. He took a shaky breath and finally put his hand back to her injured side, allowing just enough ice to escape to make it freeze. Yori moaned slightly in her sleep as she seemed to relax into the covers. It was a gloriously sexy sound, but he only felt his heart clench as he moved closer to her. He buried his nose in her golden brown hair, and breathed in her sweet scent. For the second night in a row, he stayed with her, watching her sleep.

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**ok there are more than 2 chapters after this one cause I already wrote the next two. They're both very long and they don't even come close to finishing the story...**

**Please feel free to leave comments. They make my day! =D  
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	18. Bittersweet

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Yori woke up for the second day in a row in Aidou's addicting and incredibly comfortable bed. The first thing she noticed was that her entire body felt warm, but her side was cold. As she slowly emerged from the haze of sleep, she noticed that there was a leg over hers. It's weight held her to the bed. She could feel breathing in her hair from behind her, and her back was pressed up against a warm chest.

"Good morning, sexy." a deep voice said against her ear, as a slight vibration emanated from his body against her back.

She felt an instant wave of desire, at the sound of his voice as his breath brushed against her. She blushed. This was so the reaction he had intended but she couldn't help herself. She moved to turn around but winced at her stiff muscles. Aidou reacted by moving even closer to her, pressing his freezing hand gently against her side to keep her still.

"Don't move yet." his deep voice spoke into her ear again.

It felt wonderful to wake up like this, but Yori had the sinking feeling that it was all wrong. She had been pushing thoughts to the back of her mind since she arrived, and now they were starting to eat away at her. While staying here in his room she had learned even more about him and all of it was heart wrenching and endearing. She couldn't stay here with him without completely losing her heart. He would take all of it, and he had no idea.

She squeezed her eyes shut as yet again, tears threatened to fall. She refused to cry, and forcefully pushed them back.

"Does it hurt?" he sounded concerned. Apparently he had taken her expression to mean she was in pain.

Yori didn't trust her voice so she only shook her head against the pillow.

She knew he cared about her on some level, but she didn't think he could ever really change and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to. Even when he said nice things to her, they were probably things he'd said a million times before. It became apparent that it was dangerous for her to stay here with him, and not necessarily in a physical way.

The frozen hand that was at her side started to grow warmer, and it made her think maybe he was falling asleep, but then she felt it move up her side. His fingers caressed her, slowly moving over her shoulder and to her hair. He pulled strands away from her neck, and she heard him take in a deep breath as he moved his head lower to kiss her softly just under her ear.

She probably should be used to him touching her like this by now, but she wasn't. His touch still made her mouth dry and she felt butterflies in her stomach. Her breathing started to become shallow and uneven, as he placed yet another kiss on her neck. Was he going to bite her?

"Hanabusa..." his name came out soft and breathy.

He groaned against her. "I love hearing you say my name." he said as he put his arm around her waste, pulling her closer to him. The length of his body pressed warmly against her, and his face was still dangerously close to her neck.

She knew she should be afraid of him biting her. After all, vampires were supposed to be scary. Weren't they? She didn't know anymore. She found herself only having fear for her heart and not for the blood that flowed through it. She was so torn between wanting to get closer to him and wanting to protect herself by getting farther away. She felt suspended between two seemingly opposite choices.

She thought about what was waiting for her future. There wasn't any happiness there, but here, there was at least an illusion of it and oh what a beautiful illusion it was. Wouldn't it be worth it if she could allow herself to be happy even if it was just for a little while? It was a thought that included so much temptation she wanted to give into it. She could let herself pretend that this moment was the only one that existed. Maybe it was reckless, but at this point she no longer wanted to deny herself.

It was with these final thoughts that Yori did something the old Yori would never do. She turned her head to face him, lifting her arm to thread her fingers through his thick hair and pulled his head down to hers so she could press her lips against his.

He froze in place, seemingly stunned by her actions as she felt his heart pounding in his chest. He remained still as he let her kiss him how she wanted to, and for the first time she felt like she was the one in control. She seduced him by brushing her tongue along his bottom lip and heard him moan softly as he parted his lips so she could press her tongue between them.

She was tentative at first. She wasn't exactly sure what to do, so she just took her time exploring his mouth. He seemed to be willing to let her do anything, and she took the opportunity to brush her tongue along his fangs, but was careful enough not to cut herself.

That was when her spell seemed to break. He groaned deeply and pressed himself against her as he kissed her back passionately, brushing his tongue against hers. She felt his hand come up to touch her cheek, as he turned her so he could deepen the kiss even further.

Yori was sure she would never again kiss a boy who could kiss like Hanabusa Aidou. Whenever he kissed her the heat of desire simply overwhelmed her senses. Her mind was lost as he took over. He was an expert that knew exactly what to do with his mouth, exactly how to touch her, and exactly how to make her completely melt in his arms.

The heat of his body pressed against hers warming her to the core. She turned herself just enough so that she could rub a hand down his back. She enjoyed the feel of lean muscles underneath her palm as she freely touched him. She moved her hand to the bottom of his shirt, then underneath the cloth to feel the bare skin along his side. His body felt firm, but his skin was soft. She bravely explored the feel of him, moving her hand to his stomach and discovering soft hairs just below his belly button.

He took in a sharp breath, lifting his head just enough to speak against her mouth. "Yori...you're killing me." he said shakily.

"Hmmm?" She secretly smiled. She had never had the opportunity to tease him before. No wonder he was always doing it to her.

With new found confidence, she moved her hand slightly lower, feeling as the hair grew more dense until she finally came to the waste of his pants. His breaths started to come in uneven gasps as he buried his face in her hair. She brushed her index finger along his waste, feeling his skin along the fabric. She was rewarded with a deep groan as he pressed himself against her hip. She gave a soft gasp when she felt how hard he was as he ground himself against her hip and wrapped his legs tightly around hers.

His hand moved down to warmly cover one of her breasts. He squeezed it gently and rubbed his fingers against her nipple, making it harden through the silky fabric. She moaned softly as heat washed over her, causing her stomach to tense considerably. She grabbed a fist full of his shirt and pulled him up so she could whisper in his ear.

"I want my first time to be with you."

He tensed instantly, pulling away enough to look at her with his blue eyes only inches away from hers. He started to say something. "Yori I..."

She stopped him by kissing him. She didn't know what he had been about to say and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. This was for her and she wanted it to be as perfect as it could be, for what it was.

"I don't want to hurt you." he said against her mouth, as she continued to try to silence him with kisses.

She thought maybe he meant he didn't want to hurt her by taking her virginity, but when she felt his hand move away from her breast and then back to her side, she understood he was worrying about the injury.

"I trust you." she told him truthfully.

He didn't say anything in response and she felt herself flush. She closed her eyes and tightened her fist in his shirt. "Don't let him take this away from me." She said with barely suppressed anger against the man who could steal this from her.

He was quiet for a minute, and she kept her eyes closed, thinking she couldn't bear to look at him while he refused her. She was about to say something else but then she felt his hand grabbing her nightgown, pulling it up. The silk fabric slid along her skin, moving over her legs, her hip, her waist...

She instantly realized what he was doing. "Hanabusa..." She tried to stop him.

But it was too late. Her side was completely exposed and his head was over it. First she felt his hot breath against the darkened skin, then his mouth as he kissed it gently using his lips to caress the swollen flesh.

Yori couldn't stop it then, her eyes started to well up with emotion. She put her hands through his hair and held onto him. It was by far the most intimate touch she had ever experienced.

"I won't let it hurt you." he said. His lips softly brushed against her skin with each word.

She wasn't even sure how to respond and it didn't matter, because he was lifting the nightgown higher uncovering her slowly. The cloth moved over her breasts and he didn't hesitate to take one of her nipples in his mouth the second it was exposed. He enclosed his lips around it, rubbing his tongue back and forth and tugging it into his mouth. Her hands were still in his hair and she held him tightly as the waves of her desire became even more uncontrollable.

She really did trust him not to hurt her. Actually, he seemed completely incapable of it. Even the times when he had drank her blood had been almost completely painless. It was strange feeling this way about a vampire, but she felt comforted knowing her first time would be with him.

He lifted his head from her breast, to pull her nightgown farther up, then put an arm around her between her back and the mattress, lifting her just enough so she could raise her arms and he could pull it over her shoulders. She felt like she was in a trance as he removed her clothing. It seemed to happen slowly. She moved her hands to his shoulders, needing to hold onto him as she became even more exposed.

She was almost completely naked, except for a pair of white cotton underwear, which seemed to be his next destination. He moved a finger in between the white fabric and the skin of her hip, pulling down slightly. He gazed at where his hand was touching her, and stroked his finger across the skin, feeling the juncture at her thigh with a warm touch. She involuntarily squeezed her legs together as if trying to control the desire welling within her. She found herself gripping the sheets, as his fingers brushed down farther along her inner thigh.

She shuddered from the touch as her desire grew even stronger. She felt him lower the white fabric farther down, along her thighs, past her knees and off her feet. She just held onto him, letting him completely undress her with that last piece, leaving nothing but her bare skin on the sheets. At that point he gazed up at her, as if taking in the sight of her and etching it into his mind.

Yori couldn't help but blush colorfully at the way he was so obviously staring at her while she was completely nude. She looked down, unable to look at his blue eyes as they looked at everything she had learned to hate. She felt his hand warmly caress her cheek just before he spoke to her.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are." he said softly.

His voice was like a magic that worked over her senses. She felt a warmth spread through her at the sound of it. He moved to press the length of his body against hers and kissed her passionately. Heat emanated from him, warming her bare skin. She could feel the fabric of his clothes moving along every part of her body. He was still fully dressed, and it felt strangely erotic having coarseness his clothing rub her naked skin. One of his legs pressed between hers and he pushed it up to press the aching heat between her legs. She couldn't help but move her hips against him as she squeezed her legs around his thigh.

She felt like she couldn't wait. She desperately wanted to feel all of him. She grabbed at his shirt, trying to lift it up as she freely touched him. He seemed to understand and he lifted himself up practically ripping his shirt off in the process.

She smiled at him then. "I'm not going to change my mind." She said, noticing he had seemed like he was in a hurry.

He actually managed to look a little embarrassed, but apparently recovered from it quickly, because the next thing she knew he had grabbed her around the hips and swung her around so she was on top of him. He did it so quickly and easily she hadn't had time to even try to stop him.

She was momentarily shocked at the position she found herself in. She was laying with her torso pressed against his naked chest and her legs had fallen to the sides of his hips. She moved her hands to push against to push against his chest but he stopped her by wrapping his arms around her just tight enough to hold her still.

"Just stay like this." he said as he bent to kiss her along her neck.

His hands caressed her everywhere as if he couldn't get enough of her. They moved over her breasts, along her back, across her hips, and to her thighs. She gripped the muscles on his upper arms, slightly embarrassed at the position she was in and not really sure what she should do.

She felt him move his hands between their bodies, unfastening his pants.

Her mind froze as realization hit her. He wanted to do it with her on top? She thought maybe it was because he was worried he would hurt her otherwise, but still.

"Wait..." she said as she buried her face into the skin of his shoulder.

He stilled instantly and gripped her thighs tightly. He spoke through heavy and labored breathing. "You don't want to?" The disappointment was thick and obvious in his voice.

She instantly corrected him. "No it's not that."

He let out a breath he had apparently been holding. "Whats wrong then?"

She continued to hide her face in his shoulder as she felt her cheeks grow hot and her blush deepened. "I just..." This was difficult to say. She had to force it out. "I don't know what to do."

He seemed to relax even more after hearing this and moved his hand comfortingly up her back. "I know" he said softly. "Don't worry. You don't have to do anything." His hand moved to her hair and he ran his fingers through it as he bent his head to whisper in her ear. "I'll take care of you."

Yori's heart twisted painfully when she heard those words. She wanted to say something back to him, but stopped when she felt him positioning himself between her legs. She couldn't help it. She tensed instantly. She wanted this but a part of her was still a little scared.

She felt him sigh underneath her. "You need to relax, honey." he said gently.

She didn't respond as she grasped his arms, digging her fingers into the muscles.

He used a hand at the back of her head to turn her to face him. He kissed her again, coaxing her with his mouth. She slowly felt herself begin to relax against him, letting her weight rest on his body. His other hand touched her between her legs, finding that spot that sent a sharp streak of pleasure coursing through her. She felt a finger slip inside her and she pressed herself against his hand, as desire covered her senses. It didn't take long before she was moving her hips against him, feeling herself coming close to a release.

He took his hand away to grip her thigh, and she moaned at the loss. She wasn't afraid anymore. Now she was holding onto his shoulders tightly for an entirely different reason.

"Hanabusa..." she heard herself say his name. She wasn't sure what she had been about to say. Perhaps she had been about to beg him to continue, but she didn't have to. The second his hand was gone it was replaced by his arousal, pressing at her entrance.

At that point all she could think about was what he would feel like inside her. The desire was overwhelming and she tried moving to do just that.

His hands instantly moved to her hips, gripping them tightly, and stopping her from moving enough to take him inside her. He was breathing heavily as he buried his face in her hair.

"Yori I..." he started to say something.

She didn't mean to but she managed to distract him from speaking as she lowered her weight over him, taking some of him inside her, and this time he let her. He groaned deeply but his hands still gripped her hips, forcing her to move at a tortuously slow pace, before stopping her again when he was barely halfway inside.

She thought she was going to die from how much she wanted this, and he was making her wait for it. Frustrated she squeezed her legs around his sides. Her desire had become so intense she felt the muscles in her thighs begin to shake.

It wasn't until she felt him place his mouth wetly on her neck that she understood. She took a deep breath before whispering, "I want you to."

It was all she had to say. He instantly pushed himself the rest of the way inside of her while his fangs sunk into her neck.

Like most girls her age, Yori had believed that losing her virginity would be painful, but most girls don't lose their virginity to a vampire. The sensation of being penetrated in both places at the same time was explosive. It was unlike any pleasure she had ever experienced before. It caused her to cry out his name as she held onto him tightly, completely overwhelmed with the mixture of sensations.

She felt him groan against her neck as his hands squeezed her hips. He seemed just as overwhelmed by the intensity of the sensations as she. He held her against him with the entire length of him inside her, but he didn't let her move. It gave her time to adjust to his size. Even though she hadn't felt pain when he entered, she still felt incredibly stretched and her muscles were tensing around him.

His mouth at her neck was gently sucking against her skin, and she realized that from this position she actually still had no control. His hands at her hips didn't allow her to move, and his fangs in her neck held her completely still. She just held onto him, letting him control her body's every reaction.

She felt herself relax with him inside her and involuntarily tightened her muscles around his length. He groaned again and pressed harder against her neck as he immediately began moving her hips up and down. She heard herself moan loudly as pleasure overwhelmed her. He was feeling her in places she had never been touched.

He continued to hold her hips and control the pace, and although she enjoyed the way he controlled the movement, it was driving her crazy. He seemed to want to take his time, and she felt herself becoming desperate. She tried to move more against him but his hands continued to hold her, forcing her to take him in slowly over and over again.

Her legs started to shake, she thought she would die if he didn't move faster. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Hanabusa...please." she said his name again, wanting him to understand.

Apparently he did, because he pulled away from her neck so he could hold her hips still and thrust in and out of her at a relentless pace. Her orgasm came almost immediately, it shook her entire body as each spasm sent a rush of pleasure through her. He seemed to have been trying to wait for her because as soon as her orgasm finished he followed. She watched his face as he came. His eyes were closed and his cheeks were flushed and his mouth was open enough that she could see his fangs still protruding.

Finally, she couldn't hold herself up anymore and collapsed on top of him. Her heart was still pounding in her ears and her legs felt shaky. She didn't know if she would ever be able to move.

He continued to rub her back with his hands until both of their breathing returned to normal. When her heart finally slowed she felt slightly uncomfortable, not knowing if she should say something. Her muscles were starting to feel stiff from holding that position and she pushed against him to try to move. He responded by turning them both on their sides. She found herself laying there with her head still buried in his shoulder and his arms around her.

In that moment, Yori's chest hurt so much she started to understand why people called it a broken heart. She closed her eyes and repressed the feeling as best she could. It wouldn't do her any good to try to convince her self of impossible endings. So, she kept these thoughts and feelings to herself.

She laid there for what seemed like forever, until he finally fell asleep. It was still surprisingly difficult to remove herself from his arms, but she finally managed to wriggle herself out of them and slide off the bed.

Quietly, she tip toed around the room finding her clothes and gathering her things. Before she left she stepped by the bed one last time, leaned over as he slept, and whispered in his ear.

"I love you, Hanabusa."

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**lol a far too long and probably overly detailed lemon but whatever. I still love it.  
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	19. Raging Snow

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Yori stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her as silently as possible, pushing just enough to hear the click of the latch. The hallway was lit only by a single window that let the soft light of dusk through. She had stayed much longer than she had intended. Aidou had looked so innocent in his sleep, it had been almost painful to look at him, and it had been even more painful to leave him.

Yori closed her eyes and resolved herself to push away those thoughts as she quietly walked down the hallway, softly placing each step. The building looked like some type of gothic hotel, with high ceilings, thick carpets, and tall dark wooden doors. It made her feel like she had just stepped into a horror movie. She ignored the shiver that ran down her spine with that thought. Even though it was getting late, the vampires who lived here hadn't woken up for class yet so she should be able to leave without any encounters. She didn't know her way around the building but simply followed the extravagant hall until she came upon the stairs leading down to the main lobby.

The front door was huge and made of a very dark wood. It was amazingly heavy and creaked eerily when she opened it. Before even stepping outside a cold breeze blew past her and into the room. It was freezing outside. There were thick flakes of snow falling from the sky and the setting sun was reflected off a carpet of almost a foot of white snow that covered the ground.

She stood there for a minute, thinking it might be wiser to not leave tonight. Since Aidou had taken her from her house in such a hurry, she had no clothes to change into and was still in her grey sweatshirt and torn jeans. She would freeze out there.

The longer she had stayed here the more difficult the thought of leaving had been, but something was pushing her to return home. Yes it was true that she couldn't return to her dorm. She had already dropped out of school and the only home she had left was the house with Simon's father, but there seemed to be something else compelling her. It was as if she was being pulled back by an invisible string. She truly felt that she belonged there

With these last thoughts, Yori stepped outside. The biting cold wind hit her cheeks and she instantly shivered when the low temperatures surrounded her. _I have to do this._ She told herself, and despite the brutality of the weather she pushed herself forward.

She made incredibly slow progress. Snow fell on her hair and clothes, covering her in a white dust and each footstep burned her calves as she stepped into the thick snow. The worst part of the cold was the fact that she only had on thin tennis shoes. The snow soaked through the leather making her toes ache before going completely numb.

Yori ignored the cold. She was determined. If she didn't leave tonight she probably never would. She pushed physical pain out of her mind as she had trained herself to do so many times before and forced herself to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

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Aidou instantly noticed Yori was gone when he woke up. The spot next to him was still warm from her body heat and her sweet smell was still filling the room. It hadn't been long since she left.

He felt his heart skip a beat in fear and he cursed himself for falling asleep. He knew she would try this. It was so frustrating that she would even think about going back there. He was starting to wonder if he was going to have to tie her up and hold her down forever just to stop her.

Without hesitating he jumped out of bed and started grabbing clothes that had been thrown on the floor from earlier that day. He threw on a short sleeved t-shirt and pants then grabbed shoes to cover his feet without bothering to put socks on. He needed to hurry. He did not trust himself to be anywhere near that house without killing the man that hurt her. It was absolutely necessary that he catch her before she got there.

He didn't take the time to go through the front door. Instead, he immediately moved to open the window, lifting the sill. A cold wind hit him in the face the second he opened the window. What the hell was she thinking? He couldn't believe she would try to brave this weather on her own. Her determination and strength of will did her absolutely no good sometimes.

He hoisted himself through the window and landed softly on his feet outside. It was already dark out and still snowing heavily. He could make out slightly covered tracks in the snow leading to the moon dorm gate. It couldn't have even been an hour since she left.

Honestly, she should know better than to think she could escape a vampire. He needed to explain a few things to her. One being that no matter how far she would try to run, he would always catch her. He would definitely make that perfectly clear next time he spoke to her. At this point, he didn't care if it meant he had to scare or threaten her.

Aidou literally hunted her. He followed her tracks easily. The wind was blowing at his back but he could still pick up a sweet scent in the distance. It was actually amazing how much progress she had made considering the force of the weather. Aidou, however, was much faster. With inhuman speed and agility he would catch her easily. It was only a matter of seconds now...

* * *

It seemed to take forever but Yori finally reached the front gate. The dark metal bars glared ominously at her, and it was made even taller by a foot of snow that had settled along the top rail. She hadn't bothered to try to go to the spot on the wall where she would normally climb when sneaking out of school. She knew with her injuries it would be too difficult to hoist herself over. Instead, she had walked directly to the front entrance, certain that in this weather nobody would be there to stop her. She had been correct. The area was completely deserted with only the sound of the howling breeze.

She had just put her hand on the cold metal latch when the wind was knocked out of her as strong arms grabbed her from behind. She didn't have time to react. She was lifted into the air and roughly hoisted over a broad shoulder. It took a second for her to realize what had just happened. The shoulder dug into her stomach and she felt a pain shoot up her side.

She panicked instantly as fear took over her senses. She pounded on a muscular back with her fists and kicked her feet as hard as she could. She heard a high pitched scream before realizing it came from her. Her struggling didn't work and eventually her mind cleared enough that she could form words.

"Let go of me!" she screamed in fear, but nothing happened.

She watched the ground beneath her blur into a white mixture and was amazed at how fast they were going. "Put me down!" she screamed again, frightened by not only the thought of being kidnapped but by the incredible speed at which they were moving.

"You are not going back there!" a deep voice commanded from underneath her.

It was then she realized it was Aidou carrying her. If she hadn't been so overtaken with fear she would have realized it sooner. The knowledge that it was him carrying her like this only caused her to fight against him harder.

"Stop it Hanabusa!" she yelled at him in vain. He either didn't hear her or had decided to ignore her because he kept on moving and didn't respond.

Finally she yelled, "Your hurting me!"

That worked. He instantly halted and stopped dead in his tracks to set her down unceremoniously on her feet in front of him.

As she gasped for much needed air she noticed that he was standing still and unaffected. He was only in a short sleeved shirt but wasn't phased by the cold. His blue eyes seemed darker as he glared down at her. He looked so angry it was frightening. She felt her heart quicken as she wondered what he was about to do. He stood there looking at her as if waiting for her to catch her breath.

She was about to say something else but before she could speak he grabbed her roughly around the wrist and proceeded to almost literally drag her back towards the night class dorms. She dug her heels into the snow, but he was incredibly persistent and she was forced to put one foot in front of the other, almost falling over with each step as he moved at a far too fast pace.

She wanted to scream at him, but keeping her legs underneath her required too much concentration. She tried desperately not to fall but inevitably stumbled over her own feet falling forward.

She was shocked when she didn't hit the ground. He had instantly turned around to catch her. How did he move so fast? He had caught her before had even realized she was falling.

He stood there for a minute, strong arms wrapped around her as he held her upright. This time she knew to speak before she caught her breath.

"I can't....go that fast.." she said between gasps. She wanted to scream at him, but this was the only thing she could manage to say. Each breath was difficult to take as she felt her chest tighten from exhaustion. She felt like she would never get enough air.

He stood perfectly still and silent. She couldn't help but notice that he didn't even seem to be the slightest bit out of breath. She could tell he was about to pick her up again and she spoke quickly.

"Wait I can walk!" she said urgently, desperately wanting to get the words out before he would roughly pick her up again.

"Then walk." he said coldly, taking her again by the wrist and pulling her with him. This time he moved at a slower pace and she could follow him much more easily.

She didn't try to pull away, but she was beginning to feel afraid. He seemed incredibly angry, barely even speaking to her. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she would not be able to leave him unless he let her and it didn't look like that was going to happen.

She felt hot tears of frustration run down her freezing cheeks. The world around her blurred as her eyes filled but she kept walking as she followed behind him. The muscles of her legs burned with the effort and she continued to breathe heavily, still trying to get enough air into her lungs.

He took her directly through the gate to the moon dorms, and dragged her up the steps to the main door. He opened it easily and pulled her inside.

Although Yori was still out of breath she instantly froze when they entered the warm air of the main lobby. The lights were on and everything was visible to her now, only this time it wasn't empty. She was in the middle of a room full of vampires. Some were standing and some were sitting on the couches and many had wine glasses filled with a red liquid. She recognized some of them because she had seen them entering school on occasion, but something about being here in a place she knew was their home seemed different.

They all stared at her. She felt their eyes looking over her and wondered if she looked like prey to them. Aidou seemed completely unaffected, and bent down to take off his shoes, leaving her there to stare back into several sets of eyes. Her heart that had been beating quickly from exertion started to pound for an entirely different reason. She felt like a small animal, afraid to move for fear of drawing attention to herself. Her body seemed to be acting this way on instinct and despite her fear she didn't tremble.

She just slowly reached out a hand to grip Aidou's shirt as he stood up. He looked down at her then, apparently noticing her widened eyes and frightened stature. He put an arm around her back and she felt him gently push her forward towards the stairs.

"It's alright Yori." he said to her in a firm but comforting manner.

Yori didn't know how she did it, but she managed to walk up the stairs as Aidou led her with a hand at her lower back. The room was dead silent and the vampires turned their heads as they watched her. It was incredibly nerve wracking.

Finally, when they reached the top, Aidou turned around. "Stop it you guys! Can't you see you're scaring her?!" he yelled at them in frustration.

They were silent for a minute, but then one with blond hair and green eyes smiled and said, "My apologies. I was just so surprised by such a beautiful girl walking in here." His eyes sparkled at Yori before giving a polite bow.

Aidou scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Shut up Ichijou."

He then took Yori by the hand and pulled her down the hallway to his room. He opened the door, pulled her inside and then slammed it shut behind them.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" he stood in front of her and yelled.

Yori flinched noticeably, and wrapped her arms around herself, stepping back until she stood against the hard surface of the closed door behind her.

He noticed her reaction, and didn't say anything. He just put his hand over his face as if not sure how to deal with her. He was just as drenched as she was. His shirt was soaked and his hair wetly stuck to the sides of his face. He still didn't even seem to be the slightest bit cold.

Finally, after standing there for several seconds, he just turned around and started moving around the room. He walked to the window to shut it, silencing the howl of the wind outside. Then he went to the closet and ripped off his wet shirt before grabbing a dry one and throwing it over his shoulders. He grabbed a wine glass off the table and went to the bathroom and she heard running water.

Yori stood there nervously watching him move about the room. She felt paralyzed and her feet stayed glued to the ground. She didn't know how to react to him being like this. She had never seen him this angry before.

When he came out of the bathroom he looked more relaxed. He was drying his hair with a towel as he glanced over at her. His blue eyes no longer glared at her, and he just gave her a calm look. He threw the towel around his neck as he let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I didn't mean to scare you." He spoke at a normal volume this time.

She didn't say anything. She still didn't think she could speak. She just stood there frozen in place having no idea how to react or what to say. She was still shaken by everything that had just happened.

He walked towards her and put a hand at her lower back pulling her away from the door. "C'mon lets get you out of those wet clothes." he said. He was using a much softer tone this time, and she let him lead her away from the door towards the middle of the room.

It was then she realized how cold she was. Her hair and her clothes were soaked and she started to shiver. He left her for a second to grab another shirt from his closet. She continued to just watch him without moving.

When he got back to her he stood in front of her and grabbed the bottom of her sweatshirt. She didn't know why but she let him pull it up. It was as if she was in a trance. She still felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened that night and her body seemed to refuse to react to her mind's commands.

So she just stood there, letting him take off her clothes. He took off her sweatshirt, pulling her arms up to pull it off, exposing everything underneath. He didn't touch her though, he just took the dry shirt in his hands and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was much larger on her than it would have been on him, falling against her thighs half way between her hip and her knee. The dry cloth felt warm against her freezing skin and she noticed that it smelled faintly of him. He then lifted her limp arms to put them through the sleeves. He was treating her like a child, but his gentle manner soothed her.

She watched him as he kneeled to unbutton her jeans before lowering the zipper. He pulled them down and she put her hands on his shoulders so she could step out of them. She was grateful he decided to stop there, because she was in such a hypnotized state that if he had tried to remove her underwear she probably would have let him. Instead, he stood upright and started buttoning the shirt for her.

"I can't believe you tried to leave in that weather." His voice was gentle as he finished buttoning the shirt then took the towel from around his neck to dry her hair. After rubbing the coarse material over her head he wrapped it around her shoulders, and brushed the back of his index finger over her cheek.

"Don't scare me like that." he said as he gazed at her face.

She was surprised to hear him say that. It hadn't occurred to her that anything could scare him at all much less her leaving. It didn't really make sense.

"Yori-chan, you can't go back there." he said seriously. "Do you not understand that?"

She couldn't look at him. His bright blue eyes were so sincere and she didn't know how to respond, so she looked at the floor and didn't say anything.

She heard him sigh again before he spoke. "I can see that you don't."

He took her hand gently in his. It felt warm against her cool skin and she let him pull her towards the bed. He sat down on the edge in front of her with his knees on either side of her legs and looked up at her downcast eyes so he could see them.

"Tell me why you think you have to go back." he didn't state it like a question. It was a gentle order.

"I made a deal with my aunt." she said, even her voice sounded slightly hypnotized.

When she didn't explain further he pressed her for more. "What was the deal?"

His thumb rubbed her palm and it worked well at coaxing information out of her.

"She took Simon instead of paying my school tuition."

He seemed to relax at her answer. "Honey, that's an easy thing to take care of."

She had a feeling he would say something like this. It only made it more painful. She wished she could accept, but she just couldn't. She refused to let him buy her. If she did then every time they were together would feel like he was paying for it. From the way he was brought up, money problems were something he'd never had to deal with, and after the past few years of her life she felt strongly that her pride was the only thing she had left.

"No." it was all she could say.

"What do you mean no?" He seemed surprised. "You need money and I have it so let me pay for it." He said it as if it was a simple and obvious solution.

"I don't want it." she told him.

At this he let go of her hand to grip her hips tightly. "Yori, I'm never going to let you go back to that house." he said firmly. "So just take the money and go back to school, ok?"

She instantly regretted telling him. It was obvious that he would never understand. What made it even worse was that she was sure he would never back down. The way he'd been lately had proved just how stubborn he could actually be. She couldn't escape him, and she couldn't escape her determination to not be bought. She frowned and bit her lip. There seemed to be no way out of this.

"Don't make this more difficult than it is." he said, noticing her expression.

This statement frustrated her. "You think it's easy? You can't just buy me."

His blue eyes widened. "Buy you? What are you talking about? I'm not trying to buy you!"

She tried to pull away from him but he held onto her. "It doesn't matter, Hanabusa. Even if you gave them the money I would leave." She tried to make him understand.

"I can't believe this." he said "You want to go back!" he said it as if the realization had just occurred to him.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do!" he snapped as he shook her slightly, "Yori you don't deserve to live like that. You deserve to be happy just like everybody else."

Now he was really starting to aggravate her. She roughly pushed at his shoulders and he let go of her so she could step back. "That has nothing to do with it!"

He stood up in front of her to give her an exasperated look. "It has everything to do with it Yori! How can you not see this?!"

"I didn't expect you to understand." she tried to keep her voice calm despite how infuriated she was. "I'm going back."

He didn't respond and just glared at her angrily. He stepped towards her and grabbed her again by the hips pulling her against him. "You're not going home. You belong here with me." he said firmly before roughly pressing his lips against hers.

Yori was so shocked she stood still without reacting. The bruising kiss was both hard and passionate. She couldn't believe the sharp spark of desire it sent through her. She gripped onto his shirt as she felt one of his fangs cut her lip. He forced his tongue into her mouth and tasted her blood.

He was pushing her with his hands and she felt the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed as she fell onto the mattress. He fell on top of her, but their lips never separated. She felt him pushing his hand on her inner thigh, separating her legs so he could settle between him. She couldn't believe how much her body wanted this. She had been so angry with him, yet here she was letting him kiss her so roughly and touch her however he wanted.

He ground his hips against her and she could feel his hard arousal rubbing her between her legs. She met him by moving her hips up against him. She felt heat running through her body, making her especially sensitive. He ground his hips against hers even harder and she heard herself cry out loudly.

He pulled his mouth away from hers. "You are not going back." he said before moving his head to her neck. She felt him bite her but he didn't break through the skin. It was like he was doing it to hold her there, forcing her not to move.

His hand moved between them and he slid it under her cotton underwear, pressing the wetness between her folds causing her to moan helplessly. As always, he seemed to know exactly what to do and she felt his finger slide inside her and press against a spot that caused her to squirm from the unbearable pleasure.

He let go of her neck to speak in her ear. "Tell me you won't go back there."

She could only moan, the fingers inside her were driving her crazy. He was bringing her closer and closer to climax and she couldn't do anything but go along for the ride. She gripped his shoulders and threw her head back with her eyes closed, gasping for air as she tried to control her reaction to him. It was no use. She wanted this and she couldn't deny it.

"Hanabusa..." she moaned his name.

He groaned deeply and she felt him move his hand between their legs as he quickly undid his pants. She heard a rip of cloth and was vaguely aware that it was the sound of her underwear. She only felt a brief chill air before it was replaced by him pressing his length inside her. Unlike earlier, he didn't go slowly this time. He pushed into her with one swift thrust and she cried out from the intensity of feeling him so completely fill her.

He held still with himself inside her and spoke to her again. "Tell me, Yori-chan."

She didn't respond she was too busy trying desperately to move her hips against his. "Hanabusa...move." she tried to command him as she wrapped her legs around his waist as tight as she could.

He obeyed and started to move inside her almost pulling out all the way before pushing back into her over and over. She heard herself moan each time he entered her, touching a spot inside her that caused her to shudder in ecstasy. Her breathing became faster as her heart pounded. She was so close...

"Tell me you'll stay." he spoke gruffly into her ear again only this time it almost sounded like he was pleading with her.

"I..." she could barely speak the sensations were becoming extremely intense.

"God you feel amazing." he said with a shaking voice as he started to move inside her even faster.

She dug her hands into the muscles of his back. She couldn't even begin to answer him let alone form a sentence. All she could do was cry out his name as her orgasm hit her, rushing through her body and causing her to shake with it's intensity. He thrust into her forcefully as he came shortly after her. He bit her when his orgasm hit him, and this time it did break the skin. She felt a dull pain as his fangs entered her neck.

Even after he came, he stayed inside her for several minutes. She could hear him softly swallowing her blood as he relaxed on top of her. His heart pounded against her body and they were both covered in a light sweat. He eventually pulled his fangs out of her neck but he still didn't move away. She felt him licking the wound.

He spoke into her ear again. "I'm never letting you go back there."

The words would have scared her but then he moved to hold her hand, threading his fingers through hers.

* * *

**I know I know, Aidou is kinda mean, but there is a reason for it. The next chapter is entirely from his point of view. **

**btw when Yori walks into the moon dorms I was just trying to show the other vampire's surprise at seeing Aidou waltz in the front door with her. I tried to find a way to put that in dialogue but it just didn't fit anywhere. Just wanted to make it clear that they weren't actually wanting to eat her or whatever. That was just her perception of it. Ugh I'm gonna shut up now.**


	20. Virgin Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Aidou woke up with Yori in his arms. God he could wake up like this every day. She felt so good lying next to him. He moved closer to her and pressed his body against hers, feeling her soft skin rub against him. He was teasing himself but he couldn't help it. When she was so close to him he always seemed to lose his mind.

He hadn't meant to get so angry last night. He had been so overtaken by fear of her going home and getting hurt that he had yet again found himself getting out of control. He hadn't meant to be so rough with her either, but he couldn't deny that the sex had been better than he'd ever had before. Actually, everything he'd ever done with her had been better than anything else he'd ever experienced. Her lips were perfectly soft against his, her body moved against him in ways that made his mind go numb, and the feel of her tightly surrounding him when he was inside her was almost enough to kill him.

He mentally shook himself, trying to stop this train of thought. It didn't really work but he told himself he could at least wait until she woke up.

So, he took a deep breath to try to settle his growing desire and continued to gaze down at the girl lying next to him. He realized that she seemed to be the only person in the world who could actually get such an intense emotional reaction out of him like last night. Maybe he should hate her for being able to make his emotions uncontrollable but instead it was the opposite.

He realized now that he loved her. It wasn't just a feeling of wanting to be with her. It was a feeling that seemed to start in his chest, spread to the rest of his body and then take over his mind. It was such a strong emotion it scared him. He would do just about anything for her. He would probably even die for her if he thought it would make her happy. He didn't know when his emotions for her had gotten so carried away but he really didn't care anymore. When he was with her it made the things he'd used to think were important seem frivolous.

He pulled her even closer with the arm wrapped around her waist and continued to hold her as she slept. It was starting to get light outside and he could see a white glow peeking from under the heavy drapes. He had spent the night napping off and on while laying next to her, afraid to let himself fall into a deep sleep. He hadn't slept much at all since he'd brought her here but it didn't seem important when compared to keeping her safe. Actually he was trying to remember why his sleep had used to be so important to him in the first place.

She was so frustratingly stubborn. He couldn't believe she'd refused to let him pay for her school. She obviously didn't understand just how easy it was for him or just how much he wanted to. He would find a way to get her to accept the money. He knew she wanted to stay here at Cross Academy, and although she seemed to think she belonged at that house, he knew she would be happier staying here with him. He would just keep telling her it wasn't her fault and that she deserved better. He made a silent vow to himself to repeat those words over and over, until someday she would eventually believe him.

He briefly considered telling the chairman about her situation. The man was idiotic and irritating but would undoubtedly allow her to stay. This was obvious from the way he had taken in Zero and Yuuki without any form of payment. There were several problems with this though. Not only would she be crushed if he told somebody, but she would probably return home anyways. There were ways to stop her from going but they either included him killing that human or forcing her to stay against her will. He didn't want to do anything that would hurt her. Still, every problem has a solution, and he was sure he could find one.

She stirred in her sleep and unknowingly rubbed herself against him. He fought back a groan that tried to emerge from his chest. He was trying to let her stay asleep but she was making it difficult for him. He looked down at her neck and watched a blue vein pulse under the almost translucent skin. There were two fang marks in her neck still from the last bite he'd given her. He really shouldn't...

Aidou literally had to drag himself away from her by grabbing one of the bedposts and pulling himself off the bed. He grabbed a pair of dark slacks that were again on the floor and put them on. Then he moved quickly to the bathroom to fill a glass with water and guzzle down a couple tablets. They were disgusting compared to the taste of her but he wasn't the type of vampire that couldn't control those urges when he had to.

When he felt the bloodlust recede he came out of the bathroom only to see that she was sitting up and looking back at him with groggy brown eyes. Her hair was endearingly messy from sleeping and her perfect little pink tongue darted out to lick her lips. He found himself staring at her openly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up." he mumbled as he tried to take his eyes off her gorgeous features.

She rubbed her eyes with one hand as she tried to wake herself. She looked so freakin adorable he just couldn't resist, so he walked over and sat next to her on the bed. He reached out a hand to touch her leg through the sheets before closing his eyes and lowering his head to kiss her.

He almost fell forward when he found himself kissing the air where her lips were supposed to be. She had moved away from him and got out of bed only slightly wincing from the pain of early morning movement. He wished he could take that pain away for her.

She stood several feet away from him. She was still in the shirt he had put on her the night before. It gave him a warm feeling in his stomach to see her in his clothes. It was way too big on her but revealed two perfectly shaped legs from underneath it. He knew he was staring at them, but he couldn't help it. Her skin was flawless.

"Hanabusa..." her beautifully feminine voice said his name.

He looked up to notice she was looking at him seriously. Looking at her was incredibly distracting and he would have responded to her with words if he could have formed them.

"hmmm?"

She crossed her arms in front of her as if trying to distance herself from him. "I thought about your offer." she said matter-of-factly.

He gave her a surprised look, then mentally crossed his fingers.

"I decided to accept it." she continued. "but on one condition."

He was so overjoyed that she had agreed he didn't even care whatever silly condition she thought she wanted. He would give her anything. He just wanted to see her safe and happy. He didn't care what it took. There was probably nothing he could deny her anyways, even if he wanted to.

"What is it?" he asked even though it didn't matter. He was just curious.

She took a deep breath and looked at the floor as she spoke. "I want you to stay away from me."

He froze. She couldn't have possibly meant what she said. He prayed he had heard her incorrectly.

"You want what?"

She then looked at him straight in the face. "I said I will accept it if you agree not to see me any more."

He fisted his hands against the bed. He felt like she had just taken a knife and driven it straight through his chest. He just couldn't believe what he was hearing. She didn't want to see him? She had seemed like she had feelings for him too. At least he'd thought so. There was no way he could have misjudged her emotions...right?

Actually now that he thought about it, he had misjudged her feelings and reactions to him several times before. Nothing he'd ever said seemed to affect her the way it affected most girls. He wondered if this whole time it had actually meant that she truly hadn't wanted to be around him. He felt crushed at the thought. If anybody would have asked him a few weeks ago, he would have said it was impossible for any girl to not fall for his charms, but that was before he met Yori. He found himself thinking that it was entirely possible that she didn't share his feelings.

He tried not to let his mind go there. It hurt too much. There had to be some other reason. Maybe she was just mad at him.

"Yori-chan if this is about last night I..."

"It's not about last night." she interrupted him.

This simply couldn't be happening. "I didn't mean to get so angry with you. I was just worried." He tried to apologize again.

"I told you that isn't what it's about." she corrected him. "This is what I want."

He closed his eyes, trying to pretend this conversation wasn't real.

"Why?" he tried to speak normally but his voice was barely above a whisper.

"It doesn't matter why." she said. "It's the only way I'll let you pay for it." She sounded certain.

He opened his eyes to see her looking away from him and wondered what was really going through her head. He felt himself start to get angry in spite of his attempts not to. "That's stupid Yori-chan. What does me seeing you have anything to do with it?"

She continued to avoid his gaze. "It just does." she said softly.

Now he knew for sure this wasn't what she really wanted. If it was, she sure as hell wouldn't be acting like this. Also, he was starting to get suspicious of her intentions.

"You're going to try to go back aren't you." he watched her carefully as he spoke.

He had expected her to avoid the question and lie to him like usual, but instead she looked directly at him with perfectly honest brown eyes. "I promise you, I won't." she said the words steadily.

"You've made that promise before." he just couldn't accept this.

"This time I mean it." she was so unwaivering as she spoke he was beginning to realize she was most likely speaking the truth.

He stood up, too upset by the conversation to sit down anymore. He took a step towards her but stopped when she stepped away from him. He hated it when she acted like she was afraid of him. He stood still in front of her making a point to not encroach on her space.

"I can't do that." he told her firmly. "I'm not letting you go back there."

Her face started to flush. "You're being controlling, just like him."

He took in a sharp breath. Her words were slowly tearing a hole in his chest. She thought of him the same as the man who hurt her? It was the worst thing she could have possibly said to him. He sat back down on the bed as if she had physically shoved him. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to wrap his mind around what she'd said.

He realized he'd been overbearing, but he just wanted to protect her. Her safety was more important to him than anything else. Why couldn't she see that he'd been trying to take care of her? He desperately wanted her to understand this. Maybe his methods had been wrong, but there was nothing wrong with the reasons behind them.

"I'm not trying to control you." He finally managed to speak.

"You may not be trying to, but you are." she responded. "This is how it was at home. He would order me to do things and when I wouldn't he would hit me."

Her words stung painfully. It especially bothered him that she'd said it like it was nothing, like it was absolute fact or a simple cause and reaction. He wished she would understand he would never do anything to hurt her.

"Yori-chan I..."

"I know you won't hit me." she interrupted him again, practically reading his thoughts. "But I still won't let you control me."

He was at a loss for words. He wouldn't let her go home, but he didn't want her to suffer just because of his desire to be with her constantly. He thought she'd had feelings for him. After the way they'd talked and when they'd been in bed together it had seemed like maybe she loved him. It had to have been more than lust for her too, but he knew from experience that sex did not always involve emotions. He felt his heart sink as if a huge weight had just been placed on his chest. This was apparently the only way she would willingly not go home and as long as it didn't involve her getting hurt, there was absolutely nothing he could deny her.

He took a deep breath before speaking. "I just want you to be happy." he said, trying not to sound as dejected as he felt.

She was quiet for a minute at that, but when she spoke again her voice was solid. "Then let me go."

His chest started to feel so tight it was difficult to breathe. He could barely even speak.

"Is that really what you want?" He closed his eyes again as he prayed she would change her mind.

"Yes." she sounded like she was speaking to the floor, but when he looked up at her she had turned to gaze at him steadily. "But you have to swear you'll actually stay away from me." she finished.

This was too much. What she was asking him felt impossible. He looked into her eyes, trying to determine if she had meant what she said. Her brown eyes looked right back at him, almost as if she was looking right through him.

Finally he slumped his shoulders and heard the dreaded words come out of his mouth. "I swear."

It was at that moment that Aidou felt his heart completely break in two.

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	21. Worthless

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Aidou sat at his desk looking over Yori's tuition bill. Earlier that day he had let her think that she had left the moon dorms on her own, but he had followed her at a distance. He couldn't help it. He still felt the need to watch her. She had seemed honest, but he was still worried about her. He'd watched as she walked into the day class dorms, and then he'd walked to the side of the building to watch her through her window. She stayed there the entire day and it seemed that she wouldn't try to sneak out. At first he thought he would just give her some time alone and then go talk to her anyways, but then he thought that maybe being around him somehow made her unhappy. It had honestly never occurred to him until that morning.

When he went to the Chairman's office and explained that he was there to pay for Yori's tuition, the chairman had literally fallen out of his chair. The irritating man had proceeded to bombard him with questions asking why he wanted to, but Aidou had been unwilling to answer any of them. He simply told him that he had made a deal with Yori and the results were that he would be providing the money for her school. The chairman had instantly worried that the deal was something unseemly that involved blood or something worse, and Aidou had spent over an hour convincing the fool that he wasn't going to do anything to hurt her.

He didn't bother going to school that night. He just didn't feel like talking to anybody and he knew the other vampires would ask him questions. They all knew that she had stayed here. They would have smelled her blood the day before he had walked in the front door with her after she'd tried to leave. He didn't care though. They could think whatever they wanted. He wasn't trying to hide anything.

At that moment the world must have had it out for him because there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." he said reluctantly.

He shouldn't have been surprised when it was Kain that entered.

"You don't have to knock on the door to your own room." Aidou sounded irritated for no reason.

"Lately it seems like if I didn't I'd be interrupting something." Kain didn't avoid the obvious as he gazed down at him.

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore." Aidou tried to use a tone of voice to let his cousin know he did not want to discuss it.

"You still pissed about the whole thing with Kaname?" Kain had apparently mistaken Aidou's annoyed tone.

Aidou let out a sigh, "Whatever that's history."

It was true. He had realized awhile ago that if his cousin hadn't stopped him, he would probably be dead right now. It had been the only time Kain had ever really interfered with his actions and now he was secretly grateful for it. He still wasn't about to thank him though.

"So, what did you do this time?" Kain asked.

"What do you mean what did I do? I didn't do anything!" Why did everybody always have to assume he did something wrong?

Kain just huffed apparently deciding not to bother asking anything else of his grouchy cousin. He simply walked to his bed grabbed one of his boring history books and laid down to read.

It was quiet for a long time, but eventually Aidou put down the bill and broke the silence. "She doesn't want to see me any more." It was all he could think about. He just couldn't help but bring it up.

Kain looked up from his book and rolled onto his side to look at him. "What did you do?" he asked again.

This was starting to really piss him off. Why did his cousin have to assume it was his fault? "I didn't do anything so stop asking me that!" he snapped.

At this Kain was silent again, before just shrugging and going back to his book. Honestly, Akatsuki was so frustratingly calm sometimes. Maybe he was actually related to Seiren. Aidou shook that thought as he set his elbow on the desk to rest his head on his palm.

"If I didn't agree to stop seeing her she was gonna try to go back." Then he paused and added softly, "And now I'm paying for her to go to school." He said it quickly and under his breath. He hadn't really wanted his cousin to hear that part.

Unfortunately, there was no way a vampire's ears wouldn't be able to pick that up. Kain put his book down and sat up looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He seemed surprised but didn't say anything.

"What?!" Aidou said, exasperated by his cousin's stare.

Kain just shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm surprised you gave in to that."

Aidou let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. "It was the only way she would agree to not go back." He tried to make it sound like it wasn't bothering him.

"I'm just surprised you're giving up so easily." Kain responded, looking at his cousin curiously.

"You're one to talk." Aidou said. "I never see you even trying with Ruka, you just follow her around like a puppy." He knew he was being cruel but Kain was annoying him, although secretly he'd always kind of felt sorry for his cousin for having to deal with that.

Kain seemed unaffected by Aidou's words. "Just wait 'til she falls for someone else, then you'll understand." he said coldly and went back to his book.

Those words shook Aidou terribly. The thought of Yori looking at someone else the way he so desperately wanted her to look at him made him want to kill someone. He vowed to take out that urge on any guy that tried anything with her.

That was when he realized something. He didn't even have the right to be jealous. She had decided she didn't want to see him and he had swore to stay away from her. If she wanted to allow some one else to touch her he couldn't stop her.

_Dammit!_ He couldn't stay in here with his stupid cousin anymore. He instantly got out of bed and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

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Yori laid on her bed in her room staring out the window. She'd left the lights off and decided to lay with her head at the foot of the bed so she could gaze out at the stars. She'd stayed like this ever since she got back from the moon dorms earlier that day. She hadn't even bothered to change out of the sweatshirt and jeans she had been wearing for days now. She was exhausted and she just didn't care.

It had been so difficult to say those things to Aidou. She had forced herself to make eye contact with him as much as possible. He had picked up when she had lied before, so she had been extra careful to hide it from him this time. It was actually pretty amazing how perceptive he could be. She had faltered for a second, and he had instantly picked up on it and began arguing with her. She was lucky in the end that she had managed to pull it off.

Everything that had happened in the past few weeks felt wrong. She didn't understand why Aidou had been giving her so much attention but she wanted it to stop. It had felt so out of control. She had wanted to be with him but every time he had said something nice to her it had caused sharp pains in her chest. She didn't understand who he thought she was but she knew she wasn't worth the effort he put into talking to her. He would have figured that out eventually anyways. She had just decided not to prolong the inevitable. She was sure he'd be back to his raving fangirls in no time. Her heart twisted painfully with the thought so she pushed it out of her mind, and rolled onto her side to face away from the window.

The door opened and Yuuki stepped in, returning from her prefect duties. Yori sat up on the bed to say something but Yuuki practically squealed when she noticed Yori was there.

"Yori-chan!" Yuuki yelled excitedly as she ran up to Yori and practically knocked the wind out of her with an overly enthusiastic hug.

Yori hugged her friend back. She had to admit, it felt nice to see her again. It had only been a couple weeks but it felt like it had been ages since they'd talked.

She was about to say a greeting, but Yuuki excitedly interrupted her. "You won't believe what happened today!"

Yuuki paused to catch her breath and Yori had a sinking feeling.

"Aidou-sempai payed for your school!" She exclaimed. "I thought something was going on but I didn't know for sure, you should have told me Yori-chan. That's so nice of him, but I guess you knew about it. I can't believe your back already..."

As Yuuki rambled on about Aidou, Yori tried to push back hot tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She had held them back for the entire day, almost numb in the amount of pain she was in.

Yuuki silenced from her ramblings when she noticed that Yori's eyes were beginning to fill. "Yori-chan....what's wrong?" Yuuki's large brown eyes looked at her with innocent concern.

Yori couldn't help it. She burst out crying.

Yuuki, being the considerate girl she was, wrapped her arms around her friend. Yori cried on her shoulder, unable to hold back the torrents of emotion. She couldn't believe she still had it in her, but her body shook with sobs.

"It's going to be ok Yori-chan." Yuuki soothed as she patted her back. Hearing someone say nice words to her seemed to be her undoing and she felt the weight of the world sink on her shoulders. She didn't know what she would do without a friend like Yuuki. She was probably the most caring and thoughtful person Yori had ever met.

It seemed to take forever, but she eventually stopped crying and pulled away from her friend's now drenched shoulder.

"Sorry" she said weakly, as she dried her wet cheeks with shaking hands.

Yuuki gave her a minute to calm down, still patting her back comfortingly. "What happened?"

It was the first time Yuuki had ever asked her to talk, and despite her usual secretive demeanor, Yori found herself telling Yuuki everything. Well, everything except for the way Simon's father had treated her. Aidou would probably be the only person in the world she would ever talk to about that. She did however tell Yuuki about how she had met him and learned about the night class. She even told her almost everything about the past nights she had spent in the moon dorms.

"Yori-chan I have to tell the chairman about this." Yuuki said seriously.

Yori instantly regretted telling her. The last thing she needed was more people knowing about things she felt were private. She hid her face with her hand as she worried about the past events of her life being exposed.

Yuuki must have noticed it upset her because she instantly tried to make her feel better. "Just that you know about the night class. I'm sure it will be fine." she said smiling reassuringly. "You didn't tell anybody right?"

Yori shook her head.

They were both quiet for a minute before Yuuki broke the silence. "He's paying for you to go to school Yori-chan. He obviously cares for you." She said it as if it was the undeniable truth.

"It's not the same." Yori said sadly, even her voice sounded exhausted from the toll of heavy emotions.

Yuuki thought about this for awhile but then said, "You don't know that. Did you even tell him how you feel?"

Yori shook her head. "I can't."

Yuuki attempted to press her further but Yori wouldn't hear any of it. She refused to let herself believe in false hopes and dreams. If nothing else, the past few years of her life had at least taught her not to be foolish enough to believe in happy endings. It was going to be difficult but she just needed to force herself to move on with her life.

Yuuki eventually gave up trying to convince her but still made every effort to comfort her. That night they stayed in the same bed and Yori let her friend hold her until she finally cried herself to sleep.

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**Bleh...this chapter was uneventful. I used to have it attached to the next one but there simply has to be a break here. I've written most of the next few chapters and they're much more interesting.  
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**The next chapter is entirely from Yori's perspective....that's the best teaser I can come up with without giving anything away. =(**


	22. Eternal Apathy

**Disclaimer: Aidou is mine and you can't have him! But you can read this story for free. =D  
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Time passed but it didn't heal wounds. It had been several weeks and Yori had thought that she would have recovered from the intimacy with Aidou and the violence at home. Unfortunately, as days went by she found it increasingly difficult to accept her new life.

Even now, as she walked back to the the dorms from class she felt out of place. Despite the fact that Cross Academy was full of vampires, it was a much safer place then her home with Simon had been. This feeling of safety should have made things easier but instead she found herself forced to deal with memories on a daily basis.

She watched her shoes with each step as she walked over the pavement and thought about what her life used to be like. When she had been sneaking home frequently she had been able to stay extremely focused on just making it through each day. Now that she didn't have to deal with the fear of returning home, she found herself forced to reflect on her past. She tried to distract herself but it was something she couldn't escape. It was a lurking hunger in her mind that ate away at her daily life.

Little things reminded her of home. They could be as small as a type of food that Simon's father liked or a discussion in class about the effects of alcohol. Each time something reminded her, she would find herself having vivid flashbacks. Scenes would flash through her mind. It would be like she was reliving the experience and even though she might be sitting in class, she felt like she was locked in her room as he banged on the door. She would ball her hands into fists and visually grimace trying to force down the memories. The strangest thing about it was that these memories disturbed her more then the events had when they actually happened.

A cool breeze blew past her and she gripped her books tightly to her chest forcing back the recurring memories. The only time she absolutely could not force her mind away was in her dreams. They plagued her on a nightly basis. She would wake up in a sweat feeling as if she was in incredible danger. Then she would find herself unreasonably fearing for her life. She tried not to sleep for days a time, but discovered that after depriving herself for so long the dreams would be a hundred times more intense. Still, these days she preferred to remain awake.

Cross Academy quickly became a suffocating prison. The Gothic styled buildings seemed to tower over her and she felt increasingly trapped by the high walls surrounding the campus. Each day it became more difficult to breath in her seemingly claustrophobic surroundings. She found herself instinctively wanting to escape.

Yori shivered as another chill wind blew just before she reached the day class building door and stepped inside out of the cold. A few giggling girls brushed past her on their way to greet the night class. They didn't speak to her, but she hadn't been expecting them to. She knew where they were going and who they were going to see. She dealt with this everyday.

They would chatter about him constantly. "Idol-sempai is so cute tonight." "He said we looked lively last night." "Do you think he likes dark chocolate?"

She tried to ignore them, but her heart twisted painfully every time she heard mentions of him. She knew he would instantly return to his fangirls after she left, but it was still difficult to hear.

Yori tried to push back her thoughts as she made her way through the barely lit hallways of the day class dorms. The girls who had brushed past her had obviously been the last ones to leave. The place was dead silent and deserted.

She reached her door and stepped into her room letting out a breath as she allowed herself to feel a small relief at finally having privacy. Earlier that day, Yuuki had asked her if she wanted to go eat at the chairman's. This was a daily invitation that her friend extended. Yori never accepted it though. She preferred to be alone. Besides, her appetite had basically become nonexistent anyways.

She took her shoes off and put her books on her desk before sitting on her bed. The fiction novels on her nightstand no longer looked appealing, and she found herself staring at the floor under her feet. When she had felt like this at home she would always comfort herself by looking at pictures of her mother and Simon. She had nothing of them here and she longed for the memories. She spent many nights like this, not really doing anything and not really thinking about anything. It seemed odd that she hadn't cried since that first day she had returned to her room from the moon dorms. Her emotions felt stale.

She thought about doing her homework or trying to read, but instead she spent the next few hours gazing out the window and watching the sky turn dark. She listened as girls returned to their rooms from greeting the night class, and remained there until the dorm was quiet again.

People wouldn't understand her desire to return, but it was still ever so present. It didn't make sense even to her. The irony was that she tried not to remember her home yet still wanted to go back. When she had made that promise to Aidou she had meant it. She told herself that as long as she was accepting his money she would force herself to stay. Unfortunately, when Aidou and his cousin had come to get her, she had brought nothing back to school with her. She didn't have much of anything there, but she now desperately wished she had thought to at least grab her pictures of Simon and her mother.

It would be a stupid thing to do. Aidou had probably been watching her to make sure she wouldn't go back. It would make sense considering how insistent he had been about her not returning, but it had been over a month since she had left that day. Surely by now he would have stopped watching. From the way the girls around school had chattered about him, it seemed he was back to being distracted by his precious fan base.

Yori stood up to pace along the floor of her room as the thought of returning became more and more appealing. She still had several hours until Yuuki would be home from her prefect duties. She could just go home grab her things and then immediately come back. Simon's father might be there, but she was used to having to deal with him. Plus, if it seemed at all dangerous she could always just leave and then go back another night.

After managing to convince herself it was a good idea, Yori quickly began to get ready. She didn't need to hurry but it had been a long time since she had returned and she felt particularly nervous. The clothes she used to wear while sneaking out were still at home, and she didn't have much else besides her school uniform. So, she rummaged through Yuuki's drawers and found a navy blue sweater and dark leggings to go under her skirt. It wouldn't be a problem since she would be back before Yuuki got home.

When she stepped out of her room the building was silent. Everybody was asleep. Still, she was careful to make sure to place her steps quietly. She didn't feel like talking to anybody and she definitely didn't want to explain what she was up to.

She wasn't sure if having the pictures would make her feel better or not, but it seemed like it was worth a try. Apathy had taken over her life and she felt slightly better at the idea that something might relieve some of the weight on her shoulders. If having some pictures of her mother didn't make her feel better, then she didn't know what would.

When she reached the front door she stepped out into the chilly night air, then turned to shut it as quietly as possible.

"Where do you think you're going?" A male voice spoke from behind her.

She jumped away from the door in instant shock at the sound, feeling her heart skip a beat in surprise. She turned to see the voice's owner even though she already knew who it was.

Aidou was leaning against the ledge that lined the steps leading up to the dorm building. He was in his white school uniform and looked relaxed with his arms crossed in front of him. He looked as if he had been waiting patiently for her for hours. She could not believe her eyes. How did he figure it out so fast?

"Hanabusa I...."

"You made a promise." He interrupted her calmly as he stood up straight and glared down at her with bright blue eyes.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she took in the sight of him. His blue eyes were gazing on her suspiciously as a breeze blew through his blond hair. It had been so long since she'd seen him that she had forgotten how looking at him made her mind go numb.

"It's not what you think." she quickly tried to cover for herself, feeling like a caught criminal.

He took a step towards her, but she stood her ground. "Oh really, I suppose you're heading out to study." He said sarcastically.

Yori's heart started to pound as she remembered how angry he had been the last time she had tried to leave. "No...I mean...it's just that...." her voice was breathless.

She silenced instantly as he bent down with his blue eyes barely an inch away from hers. Seeing him so suddenly and being this close to him made it difficult to speak.

He looked at her directly. "Don't lie to me Yori." His deep voice was frighteningly calm. It seemed like he was looking right through her and she felt her heartbeat become even faster. Despite his even tone, it was obvious that he was angry.

She closed her eyes so his perfect features wouldn't distract her. "I'm not trying to go back....well I am but..." She stopped when she felt his fingers on her neck.

"You should know better than to go out at night." he said menacingly as his fingers stroked along her throat, causing her breath to come in uneven gasps.

She knew he was trying to intimidate her. If nothing else she had learned that he wouldn't do anything against her will and he would never hurt her. So, she stood her ground despite the fact that her mind was racing.

"I need to go get something." She kept her eyes closed, knowing all words would be lost if she looked at him.

He stopped moving his fingers and she heard him straighten, moving his face away from hers. Still, he didn't take his hand off of her neck as he spoke. "What do you need?"

"I just want to get my things." she explained quickly. "I'm just going to go and come right back."

She felt his fingers begin to move along her neck again causing her to shiver slightly at the soft touch. Did he have to do that? It seemed like it was almost a reflex for him.

"You're not going." he said decisively.

She opened her eyes and forced herself to make eye contact. She gave him a pleading look, trying to show him how much she wanted this. "I promise I won't stay long. I'll be back tonight."

He was silent as he looked down at her steadily, probably measuring her honesty. "I still can't let you." This time he sounded almost as if he felt sorry about it.

Yori began to feel desperate. If she wanted to go home she apparently would need his permission.

"Please, I just want to get some pictures." She didn't hide the desperation in her voice.

She noticed that although his voice had sounded like his decision was final, his eyes looked uncertain. At this point, Yori wanted those pictures so bad she didn't care if she had to beg him.

She continued to look up at him without averting her eyes. "Please Hanabusa." She knew she probably looked pathetic but she had finally allowed herself to feel a little hope at the thought of having something to comfort her. Plus she wanted to let him know that this was important to her.

She watched as his face slowly changed, becoming more relaxed as his blue eyes softened. His hand moved from her neck to stroke her cheek gently as he let out a breath.

"I'll go." he said.

At first Yori was silent with shock. She knew he thought that place was disgusting and she hadn't expected him to offer. Also, she knew what the place looked like inside. He had only seen a small part of it. The rest of the house was much worse. Having him look around inside would feel like he was violating her already vulnerable privacy.

"No, I don't want you to." she told him.

She expected him to get angry, but instead he remained calm. "Somebody else can then, so long as it's not you."

She shook her head. Having somebody else go would be even worse! Aidou was the only person who knew anything about what happened there. She absolutely did not want anyone else to find out. She bit her lip and looked down as she tried to decide what to do.

She felt his hand brush strands of hair away from her face. It felt so nice when he touched her like this. She had to force herself not to lean into his hand.

"It's not your fault Yori-chan." he said gently.

Yori instantly felt her throat close and shut her eyes to stop tears from falling. She hadn't cried in so long and then he came along saying the one thing that made her walls crumble. Why did he have to say that? She didn't need him to tell her this.

"I know." she said, but her voice sounded weak even to her own ears.

He bent down and she felt him press his forehead against hers. With his face so close she could feel his breath as he spoke. "Do you want me to go or somebody else?" he asked.

She looked to the ground as she took in a shaky breath before responding. "You." she whispered.

He stood up and turned to leave heading down the steps.

"Hanabusa..." she called after him.

He stopped and looked back at her.

"I..." she stuttered. She wasn't sure exactly what she had been intending to say. "Well...thank you."

He simply nodded before turning back around and walking away.

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**Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments if you like.  
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	23. Behind Closed Doors

**Disclaimer: I don't own vampire knight or any of its characters.**

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Aidou took his time walking back to the moon dorms as a chill night breeze blew past him. He was dreading going to that house. He really should have never offered, but the second she had looked up at him with brown pleading eyes his resolve had completely melted. He idly wondered what else she could get him to do with looks like that.

As he continued to walk, he closed his eyes, remembering what it had felt like to be so close to her. He had tried not to touch her, but it had been far too difficult. He found himself touching her neck and telling himself he was doing it to scare her, but in actuality he had just needed any excuse to touch her skin. He should have stopped as soon as she told him the reason why she was leaving, but he had watched his hand as it touched her cheek and stroked her hair. He took solace in the fact that she hadn't backed away from him. Apparently she had at least learned that he wouldn't hurt her.

Although, her presence had effectively distracted him, he had noticed that she looked tired. There were dark circles under her brown eyes and her face had appeared thinner. He hadn't noticed these changes until he was a few feet away from her. She was already a small girl and she didn't need to be losing weight. He hadn't thought she was the type to try one of those crash diets that girls were always on and he couldn't help but let it worry him.

He had been watching her closely even though so much time had passed. He had a feeling she would wait and then try go back again. It was a good thing he had decided keep an eye on her for so long. He also knew she hadn't been sleeping. Her light would remain on even until the night classes were over and Yuuki had returned. It seemed odd because he remembered her sleeping deeply when she was in his room. It made him wonder if not seeing her was helping her like she seemed to think it would.

When he reached the dorms he went in his room to change out of his school uniform. As much as he didn't want to go, he would rather get it over with than put it off. He grabbed dark clothes and a long jacket. He didn't need to sneak around but he didn't want to bump into anybody either and a white school uniform was definitely the wrong choice.

Kaname had backed off considerably since their last conversation. It was probably partially due to the fact that he had stayed out of trouble over the past few weeks. It was especially convenient now since tonight he wouldn't need permission to leave. He would be back before the night was over anyways.

The dorms were empty as he left out the front door. All of the students were still in class and hopefully he could get back before classes were over.

He didn't take a car that night. He just walked most of the way. The sky was pitch black and the streets of town were deserted. He would have blended into the dark if it weren't for the flickering street lights that lined the sidewalks. He realized walking was his way of trying to put off the inevitable and he secretly hoped he would bump into Level E's along the way. Unfortunately, he had no such luck and he reached the road to her house fairly quickly.

He walked up the street to stand in front of her house from several feet away. It was just as decrepit as the last time he'd seen it if not more so. The house was framed by a dark sky and the leaveless branches of winter trees that seemed to match its barren appearance. The windows were black and even he couldn't see inside through the thick layer of dust on the glass. The house seemed to be looking at him ominously and he inwardly shuddered at the thought of going inside.

He stood staring at it for several minutes as a chill winter wind blew against his long jacket. He again found himself feeling overdressed and out of place, but it wasn't the thought that it was dirty or reeking of poverty that bothered him. It was the thought of having to face what happened in there. His brain had already created disturbing scenarios of Yori being hurt by Simon's father, but walking into the place where those things actually happened would make it much more visible in his mind. He knew he shouldn't be wasting time but his legs seemed to refuse to move.

The thought occurred to him that if standing outside this house gave him these pensive feelings, then Yori must have experienced them ten times as vividly. He wondered how she had ever managed to walk inside. She was obviously experienced at sneaking out of school and had come here repeatedly in the middle of the night. Oddly enough, she had never seemed scared about it. He remembered the first time he had brought her here in the car with Kain. It seemed strange now that she hadn't been afraid or even upset then. He began to realize there was a deeper meaning behind this.

She had become desensitized to it. The thought gave him a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. She had learned to accept anything that went on in this house as her fate. The fact that she felt that it was somehow her fault only further proved that she had walked in there without second thoughts.

Aidou took a deep breath to steady himself. There were so many conflicting feelings that ran through him from just standing here outside. They all hit him at once. He felt rage against the man who hurt her, concern about how her life had been here, and fear at the thought of her returning. Most of all he worried about how he could convince her that she deserved so much better than anything that happened here.

He forced his legs to move and walked to the front door. The screen door screeched as he opened it and he wasn't surprised to discover that the main door wasn't locked. It was obvious from the house's appearance that there was nothing worth stealing here. He bravely turned the knob and stepped inside.

It was dark inside the first room, but his enhanced eyesight allowed him to see everything clearly. He shut the door firmly letting the darkness surround him.

There was even breathing coming from somewhere above him. Somebody was sleeping upstairs. He balled his hands into fists as he repeated a mantra to himself. _I will not kill him. _It was probably the strongest desire he had ever experienced, but it was also the most dangerous.

He focused on the objects around him rather than the breathing from upstairs. He remembered this room well from the last time he had been here to get Yori. The only furniture in the room was a small couch and table, and the ceiling had water stains from leaking pipes. He walked through the room placing each foot quietly along a stained and matted carpet.

He had to cover his sensitive nostrils when he stepped into the kitchen. The place was a disaster. Dishes were piled up in the sink and the small kitchen table was covered with bottles of various types of alcohol along with an overflowing ash tray of cigarettes. Many of the cabinet doors were open and there was hardly anything in them, just a few plates, some cans of food and a moldy loaf of bread. He didn't have to open the refrigerator to know there was spoiled milk inside it.

When he had been here to get Yori that day the inside of the house had been in a much cleaner condition. He had a sinking feeling when he realized that was probably because Yori had cleaned it. She must have been the only one who cleaned in here because it was obvious that nobody else did.

He couldn't help but notice that there was a stain on one of the walls with drip marks that led down to a broken beer bottle on the floor. He shouldn't have been surprised. The human had probably thrown things frequently.

Aidou pushed back the images of the man throwing things at Yori as he made his way towards the darkened staircase, passing a hole in the wall that was probably made by someone's fist.

The second floor hallway was dark and narrow. He stood still and let his senses do the exploring. The sound of even breathing came from behind one of the closed doors. He could smell a faint sweet scent that let him know Yori's room was up here somewhere. There was also another scent. It was old, but it was unmistakably her blood. He would recognize it anywhere.

He stepped in front of the closed door with the breathing human inside and stopped. The urge to go in the room was incredibly strong. The man would be so easy to kill and in a way, it would make Yori permanently safe. He took a shaky breath. It would also force him to live his life as a fugitive. Many vampires wouldn't care, but escaping Kaname would require that he disappear from vampire society.

He made himself focus his mind on the task at hand and walked past the door. He followed Yori's scent to a room. The door was closed and before opening it, he noticed a dent on the bottom half. At some point somebody had kicked it. He couldn't stop the scene from forming in his mind. Yori had locked herself in her room and Simon's father had kicked it trying to get to her. What had gone through her mind then? He closed his eyes as he deeply wished he could have been here to protect her.

He took a deep breath to try to force back the images as he turned the knob and stepped inside. There was a bed and a nightstand on one side and a mattress on the floor along the opposite wall. She had shared her room with her brother. The mattress on the floor had her scent.

The room was almost completely empty. There were a few leftover toys sitting next to a bin, but other than that there was practically nothing. He saw that there were clothes on the floor by the mattress, a couple torn shirts and a pair of shoes that had duct tape holding the soles to the leather. He had known she didn't have money but his heart clenched as he realized that she really didn't have anything. No wonder she wanted her photos. It seemed they were the only thing she had here.

He stepped towards the nightstand, immediately noticing the picture frame sitting on it. He picked it up to get a closer look. It was a picture of a woman holding a child. The woman was very obviously Yori's mother. She had Yori's deep brown eyes and her hair was longer but it was the same golden brown color. She was gazing down with a smile at a baby in her arms. The child was wrapped in a blue blanket. It was most likely Simon.

The nightstand had one drawer and he opened it. There was a small binder inside. He took it out and flipped the pages. It was a photo album. They were almost all pictures of Yori's brother and his parents. He only found one that showed a younger version of Yori. She looked like she was around ten. She had the same endearing eyes and her hair was cutely tousled around her face. Although she looked adorable the picture disturbed him. Her mother and Simon's father were gazing down at the child in their arms. Yori stood off to the side and gazed out of the photo. She wasn't smiling.

He remembered what she had said when he had tried to talk to her about what happened here. The bastard only hit her, not her brother. It was part of the reason she seemed to think it was her fault. Here was a photo that spoke louder than any words. She had most likely grown up thinking she wasn't loved.

He had known that her suffering had run deeper than her physical injuries, he just didn't know how deep it actually was. She had lived with this. Had she ever even experienced the feeling of being loved by someone? She probably had no idea how he felt, let alone how to react to it.

He grabbed the picture frame and the photo album and moved to leave the room. He would do something regrettable if he didn't leave soon.

When he stepped out of her room he instantly stilled. The smell of her blood was stronger from here. He looked down the darkened narrow hallway towards the scent. There was another room there. His heart pounded as he felt his legs moving towards the scent despite his mind's commands.

It was a tiny bathroom with a large mirror. He stepped inside and looked at his reflection noticing that the mirror had a large crack down the middle as if somebody had hit it with something. He reached up a hand and touched the cool glass, running his fingers along the sharp crack.

On the counter underneath the mirror there was a little green make-up container. It was open and had a powder that was obviously designed to match Yori's skin color. He hadn't noticed that she ever wore make up. She had never seemed the type.

That was when he noticed a larger box sitting next to the powder. It was a first aid kit. In front of it was an antibiotic ointment as well as some band aids and a piece of gauze...with blood on it. It was old but he could easily recognize that it was Yori's. That was when he noticed the spots of blood in the sink and on the floor.

Aidou put a hand over his stomach as a wave of nausea hit him. He'd seen the injuries she had that day and he knew that it wasn't the first time it had happened, but looking at these things forced him to see the way she had lived with it daily. He started to have difficulty breathing in the claustrophobic bathroom and immediately stepped back into the hallway.

He tried to maintain control but the horrid evidence of what her life was like here was overwhelming. Her injuries had disturbed him but he had tried not to imagine the scenes that actually happened here. He realized now that in a way he had been in denial. He felt completely powerless as the gravity of the situation settled in the pit of his stomach.

The sense of being powerless was not a feeling he was used to, and he felt the increasing desire to seek vengeance for the brutal way she had been violated. He felt his muscles tense as his hands began to shake considerably. He fought to suppress the rage as his vision hazed over with red.

He couldn't kill this human, but he could definitely hurt him. He retraced his steps back back to the closed door he had passed earlier and opened it.

He stepped into the pitch black room and looked down at the person sleeping in the bed. The man had covers over his face but his hair stuck out on the pillow next to a nightstand.

Aidou stood there looking down at him for several seconds. The human would be pathetically easy to kill. He laid on the bed sleeping, completely vulnerable and unaware that there was a vampire in the room. Even if it was allowed, killing him would not be enough.

He felt the pressure continue to build inside him as if he would explode if it wasn't released. He walked up to stand next to the bed, and bent over to look at the sleeping man. He watched his hand reach out and touch the man's greasy hair almost as if his body was acting on its own. In a strangely gentle manner he thread his fingers through the hair before grabbing it in a fist.

Aidou had to control the amount of power he used as he lifted the man's head and slammed it against the corner of the nightstand. There was an audible crack as his face hit the wood.

Aidou stood back and watched as he screamed. He spit up blood and snot as he sputtered while lifting his head. Aidou would never know what he looked like, because as the man's face was revealed it was a complete bloody mess. His nose was broken and blood streamed from it over his chin.

"What the fuck!" the human screamed in a high pitch voice.

Aidou took a deep breath as he got a disturbing satisfaction out of smelling his blood. The man looked around but couldn't see him in the darkness. The whites of his eyes revealed themselves as fear took over his face.

"Did hitting her make you feel good about yourself?" He kept his voice calm but he was gritting his teeth.

The human continued to look around the room as he spoke. "Who the fuck are you talking about!" he screamed again as he covered his face with his hands. "You broke my fuckin' nose!"

Aidou moved into the man's view as he bent down to get a closer look at his handy work. "I said, did hitting her make you feel good about yourself?"

The man spit out blood and glared up at him. From this close, Aidou could smell the pungent stench of alcohol from the man's breath and see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"The whore deserved it!" he bellowed angrily.

Aidou felt his own breathing become labored as the hairs on his neck stood on end. He stepped closer so he could reach out a hand to grab the man by the throat. A surge of energy coursed through his veins as his heart pounded loudly in his ears. He was tempted to squeeze his hand enough to crush the man's throat but forced himself to instead lift him out of the bed and throw his body against the opposite wall. The man's back slammed against the wall and then his neck jerked as his head hit with a thud.

The house shook from the force. A lamp fell off the nightstand and a mirror on the wall fell to the floor with a crash as it shattered. The human collapsed in a heap and there was a spot of blood on the wall where his head had made contact. The blood left a trail as it dripped to the floor.

Although the rage had completely consumed him, somewhere in the back of his mind Aidou realized that if he didn't stop soon he would kill him. Heat flowed through him as he walked to stand over the writhing man on the floor. He couldn't kill this human, but he could definitely hurt him.

"Please....stop!" he was begging for his life. It was disgusting and Aidou felt no pity. This human wasn't even worthy of death, but there was one last thing he wanted to make clear.

He bent down and put his fingers through the greasy hair once more, lifting the man by the head like a rag doll. He felt his fangs lengthen as the pressure of rage continued to push at his skin. He looked directly into the human's eyes. He felt ready to explode but controlled himself enough to speak.

"Try to hurt her again and I _will _kill you." He menacingly issued the threat.

He let go then. Hearing the man's body fall in a clump on the ground. He was about to turn to leave but as an after thought kicked the man in the chest, hearing the satisfying crack of ribs breaking.

As Aidou walked out the front door of the house and into the cool air of the night, he could still hear pathetic moans from upstairs.

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**Feel free to let me know what ya think. =)**


	24. Solace

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.

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Aidou stood in the hallway outside Yori's dorm room. It was extremely late and the building was dead silent. He had come directly here from her house and the silence seemed almost deafening after spending so much time with rage roaring in his head. The last remnants of adrenaline were just now leaving his body. It was probably not a good idea to come here before going home and gathering his thoughts, but he had found himself walking here as if it was instinct.

He was still recovering from the overwhelming rage he had felt while beating the man who hurt her, but he didn't regret it in the slightest. In fact he wished he had spent more time inflicting pain on the bastard. The experience had been both unsettling and satisfying at the same time. His body felt fatigued from the receded adrenaline but his emotions were shaken. He felt an urgent and selfish need to be close to her.

He gripped the photo album in his hand tightly as he tried to push back images of the house and what happened inside it. He felt deeply disturbed by everything he had seen. The incredible poverty and the evidence of violence had been much more than he had anticipated. It made his stomach uneasy just thinking about what she had gone through.

He couldn't get the blood in the bathroom out of his mind. How many hours had she spent in there? At first when he'd seen the crack in the mirror he had thought it was more evidence of violence, but now that he thought about it he realized it could have been her doing. He couldn't even begin to understand the types of things that had gone through her mind.

He was completely torn. If he didn't keep his promise she might stop trusting him, but at the same time he desperately wanted to help her. His jacket felt heavy on his shoulders as he tiredly leaned against the wall of the hallway and put a hand over his face. The situation seemed hopeless.

"Idol.. I mean Aidou-sempai!" a female voice exclaimed.

His head shot up out of his hand. He had been so deep in thought he hadn't heard Yuuki approach. He couldn't believe she had actually managed to sneak up on him. The small girl stood only a few feet away looking up at him with widened brown eyes.

"You're not supposed to be here." she told him as she took on her prefect duties with apparent enthusiasm.

"I was just leaving." he said reluctantly as he stood up from the wall.

As he tried to walk past her, Yuuki stopped him by moving in front of him to block his path. He looked down at her wondering what she wanted.

"Do you want to see her?" she asked.

He sighed tiredly. "It doesn't matter." he said as he tried to move past her.

The tiny girl raced around to stand in front of him again. "You have to talk to her!" she tried to yell with a whisper as she looked up at him urgently.

"Yuuki-chan, she doesn't want me to." he said firmly, trying to make the girl understand.

To his dismay the prefect's concerned eyes started to well up with tears. "Please talk to her."

He held out the photo album, trying to hand it to her. "I told you..."

"She's not sleeping!" Yuuki interrupted him with urgency, ignoring the binder in his hands. "She's not eating. She won't go out. She never smiles." She silenced for a minute with obvious distress. "I try but I can't take her pain away." she said helplessly.

Aidou's felt his chest tighten as he heard those words. He knew she wasn't sleeping and she had obviously lost weight but he didn't know what he was supposed to do about it.

"I don't know what you think I can do that you can't." he said sadly.

A tear fell down Yuuki's cheek and he started to wonder if he could get in trouble with Kaname for making her cry.

"Just try." she practically whispered.

It didn't take too much to convince him, since he already wanted to see her anyways. He wanted to be alone with her though. "Ok I'll come back tomorrow."

"No!" she let out an outburst and then covered her hand with her mouth. "Talk to her now." she returned to her urgent whisper.

She started pushing him back to the door. "I'll be back soon so you better not try anything!" She warned just before running back down the hallway and disappearing around the corner.

_What a strange girl. _He thought as he watched her run away.

He found himself back in the same position he was in a few minutes ago, staring at Yori's door. He wondered if he would be able to stop himself from grabbing her and pulling her into his arms the second he saw her, but he knew he shouldn't because he didn't want her to know how much the house had bothered him. Taking a deep breath to steady himself he gripped onto the photo album tightly and knocked.

"One second." he heard her speak from inside the room as the sound of footsteps approached the door.

The knob turned and the door opened, revealing her small figure. Her hair was slightly messy as if she had been lying in bed, but she seemed wide awake. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes.

"Hanabusa...you're back already." she seemed surprised to see him.

He thought about giving her the album first but realized she would probably send him away. He had the advantage now and he intended to use it.

"May I come in?" he asked.

She looked uncertain for a minute, but then just stepped back as she opened the door to let him inside.

As he stepped in the room, he noticed that her bed was still made. It seemed that she hadn't even really tried to go to sleep yet. Also there were no longer stacks of books around the room and many of her things were on the floor. It seemed strange since the last time he had been here her things had been neat and orderly.

She shut the door and stepped around to stand in front of him. He noticed she was in the same flannel pajamas she had worn the last time he had been in her room. They seemed to hang on her differently though. He could see her collar bones protruding from under her neck and the cloth hung loosely against her thin body. He couldn't hide the concern in his eyes, but she didn't seem to notice. She was looking at the photo album in his hand.

He held onto it. If he was going to try to talk to her it had to be now. "Yori-chan..." he stopped himself. He had been about to ask her why she wasn't eating but then quickly realized he needed to use a less forward approach.

"How have you been?" he finished lamely.

She avoided his gaze. "Fine"

It was disgustingly obvious that she was anything but fine. She didn't seem to know this yet but he had already learned ways to get around her evasive nature. Despite the fact that his mind was still racing, he managed to quickly devise a strategy to get her to talk.

He moved to lean over her desk peering at her unfinished homework. "Where are all your books?" He knew she hated it when he snooped.

"I took them back to the library." she said absentmindedly as she quickly moved to stand in front of him, trying to block his view.

He stepped back before moving to sit on her bed by the nightstand. She would hate him making himself comfortable but he didn't want to intimidate her by standing over her. Plus his muscles felt tense both from stress and the strong urge to touch her. He set the photo album next to him on the bed and drummed his fingers on top of it, trying to look more relaxed than he felt. As he expected, she seemed worried about him sitting on her bed.

"Do you still go to the library to read?" He put his other hand behind him on the mattress to lean back a bit.

She blushed colorfully. "I quit going there awhile ago."

Despite the way he was worrying about her, he couldn't help but notice that her blush was absolutely adorable.

"Hanabusa...."

_Woops._ He needed to maintain his concentration. "You shared a room with your brother?" he started looking through the things on her nightstand as he spoke.

"Yeah." She said softly. "Will you stop that?" She stepped around to block his view again.

He immediately straightened, taking his attention off her desk. She stood a few feet away from him now, looking down on him as he sat on the bed. He wished she would just take a few steps closer.

"You miss him don't you." he said as he gazed up at her.

"Yeah." Her voice sounded distant as she looked to the floor.

He frowned. It was probably crushing her to not see her brother. She had smiled so sweetly when he had met the child the first time. It must have been why she wanted these photos so badly. There was definitely something else bothering her though.

He leaned back on an elbow and started fidgeting with the cover of the photo album. It worked well to hide the fact that his hand was slightly shaking.

"Do you still read books at all?" he asked as he looked at his fidgeting hand.

"No." she said as she stepped closer.

He sat up carefully. He didn't want to startle her.

"Why?" he watched her closely as he waited for an answer.

She was still looking at the photo album with his hand on it. "I just..." she stopped as if trying to decide what to say. "They don't let me escape." she finished finally as she reached for the photo album. "Can I have that now?"

He had to force himself to keep still when her soft hair brushed against his cheek as she bent down to pick up the binder. He closed his eyes as he purposely moved his hand so hers would brush against his when she moved to pick it up. She didn't seem to notice, and he let her take the photo album from underneath his fingers.

Honestly he felt guilty for keeping it from her, but he had purposely hidden another picture underneath the album. She still hadn't noticed it.

He picked up the picture frame from the mattress. "She looks just like you." he said as he looked at the picture of her mother holding a baby Simon.

She had the photo album gripped to her chest as she looked over to see what he had in his hands. Her eyes widened as she recognized the framed photograph. He purposely held it so she couldn't see the picture and she moved to sit down next to him on the bed so she could look down at it. She didn't sit close enough to touch him, but he could feel her warm body heat travel the short distance between them.

"She was beautiful." she said sadly as she gazed down at the photo.

She was distracted by the photograph and he couldn't help but take the opportunity to lean over her just enough to breathe in her sweet scent. The temptation to wrap his arms around her was so strong he had to grip the covers of the bed.

"That's Simon?" he asked as she reached over to grab the picture. He thought about asking about her mother but he didn't want to push her too much.

"Yeah." she said quietly.

He let her take the picture from him, again moving his fingers so hers would lightly brush against his. He held his breath at the soft touch wishing her hand would continue touching him.

She held the picture in front of her and he watched as she gripped it in her small hand. "You miss him don't you." he said gently.

"Yeah." Her voice was distant as she continued to look down at it.

He took a deep breath. "Yori-chan.." he thought carefully about what question to ask and how to word it. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

She was silent for a minute, then nodded. She closed her eyes and pulled the picture frame and the photo album to her chest, holding them like a child holding a doll.

It was absolutely heart wrenching to see her looking so vulnerable. He put his hand on her back and started to rub it back and forth along the soft fabric of her flannel pajamas, allowing himself to breathe easier at finally being able to touch her.

"Why?" he whispered the question.

"I can't escape." she said it so softly he thought she probably didn't intend for him to hear it.

He continued to rub her back. "What do you have to escape from?" He asked the question as gently as possible.

Despite his gentle tone, her muscles tensed and he noticed she was starting to tremble. He instantly felt guilty for making her react this way.

"Yori..."

"He's here." she said it before he could finish. Her voice was a frightened whisper.

"What?" he didn't understand what she meant. He would have heard if somebody was approaching the door.

Her hands squeezed the photo album until her knuckles turned white. "I can't escape him." her voice was shaking considerably. "I try but he's everywhere."

He didn't even bother trying to stop himself then. He wrapped his arms around her wanting desperately to calm her down. He held her small frame tightly against him before speaking in her ear. "Yori-chan he won't hurt you any more. I promise."

She pushed against his chest so she could look up at him. He took in a sharp breath as he noticed just how frightened she looked.

"You don't understand." Her large brown eyes were practically shaking as she looked at him as if trying to make him listen. "When I dream, when I'm at school. I can't escape!" Her voice became more and more frantic with each word.

He froze as he inhaled the scent of her blood, then looked between them to see that one of her hands had let go of the album and she was balling it into a fist, digging her nails into her skin. Tears started to fall down her cheeks as little wet droplets fell onto her hand.

He had no idea what to say. There were probably no words that could comfort her. He just took the album out from between them to set it on the bed before pulling her tightly against him as her entire body began to shake with sobs. He rocked her back and forth as he buried his face in her hair and tried to control his own emotions.

He felt completely powerless. He could stop the bastard from physically hurting her but her pain ran so much deeper. He didn't know how to protect her from this. The only thing he knew for sure was that staying away from her and leaving her alone were definitely the wrong things to do. Especially because it seemed that if she didn't talk about it with him she wouldn't talk about it at all.

He held her for what seemed like hours before her sobs became softer and her shaking eventually subsided. After a while, she silently relaxed and leaned on his chest. He continued to stroke her back and press his head down to breath against her hair. There was no way he could let go of her now.

She tensed slightly before asking him a question. "Was it bad?" Her voice was muffled with her face buried into his chest.

He was surprised to hear her speak, and it took him a minute to realize she was talking about her house. She hadn't wanted him to go there at first. Now he understood why.

"No." he lied. "I'm a vampire. Nothing bothers me."

Her shoulders slumped as she relaxed against him in apparent relief. He ran his fingers through her hair. He didn't mind lying to her if it would make her feel better. He could keep his traumatizing realizations from earlier that night to himself.

He took a deep breath and instantly regretted it when the scent of blood from her palm flooded his senses. As if acting on instinct, he watched his fingers as they brushed her hair aside from her neck, revealing pale skin. He found himself staring at a small pulsing blue line under the flesh.

He felt a strong desire to seek solace in a way that only drinking her blood could provide. The events of the night put together with seeing her after so long were building inside of him, making him desperate to be closer to her. He felt himself developing a thirst that he knew was a vampire's instinct to drink blood from the person he loved.

In the past several weeks he had come to the realization that he had unintentionally begun treating her as if she was a vampire. He hadn't meant to, but the exchange of blood between vampires was an incredibly private and intimate act and he had been drinking her blood in a way that felt natural as he tried to show that he cared about her. The only problem was she would have no way of understanding this. She had never known the feeling of wanting to get closer to someone in this way.

He could drink her blood but she could never drink his. It was an incomplete bond. He could live without knowing the pleasure of giving her his blood, but he didn't like the idea that she might think of him drinking from her as a way of sacrificing herself for him.

Her scent caressed his senses again, bringing him out of his thoughts as he went back to gazing at her neck. He heard her heart beating in time with the slight movement of the blue vein. Her pale skin started to look red as his eyes darkened...

He forced himself to move away from her and stand up. She wouldn't understand the meaning behind his thirst and he didn't want to scare her.

He was about to turn around when he felt a tug at his jacket. He looked down to see her staring at her hand where it grabbed a fist full of the dark fabric. Her hand looked small as the knuckles of her clenched fingers turned white.

"Don't go." she whispered.

He felt his chest tighten at her soft words. It was nearly impossible to say no to her. When he noticed she was about to look up at him he closed his eyes, hiding the fact that they were red. There was so much he had never told her about vampires. He had almost unknowingly been hiding aspects of his vampire nature from her.

He stood still with uncertainty for several seconds. The temptation to stay was incredibly strong. He kept his eyes closed as he put his hand over hers, feeling her fingers relax under his. He heard her breathing quicken from the touch. Then the beating of her heart became slightly faster.

He took a shaky breath as he lifted his eyelids enough to peak down at her. She had gone back to looking at where their hands touched. He was unable to let go of her hand as he sat back down next to her, much closer than he had been sitting before.

The thirst quickly became harder to control. He lowered his head to her neck before she could turn to look at him. He tortured himself as he took in a deep breath. From this close he could smell the tantalizing scent of her blood. It caused his mouth to water as his fangs pressed dents into his tongue. He knew he was gripping her hand tightly but he couldn't let go and he couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips against her, kissing the soft skin of her neck.

"Hanabusa..." she breathlessly said his name.

The sound of her feminine voice saying his name blended with the deep sound of her heartbeat. It didn't help. He began to breathe heavily as his mind focused intently on the thought of her blood filling his mouth. He was so close he could almost taste it. The desire was overwhelming.

That was when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He expected her to push him away but she just held onto him. "It's alright." she soothed.

He heard a sound come from his throat that sounded vaguely like a whimper. He continued to try to resist even as he opened his mouth to press his fangs against her supple skin not quite hard enough to draw blood. He pulled away slightly. He needed to try to tell her.

"I want more than your blood." His voice was shaking and these were the only words he could manage.

She tried to turn her head to look at him but he couldn't bring himself to move away from her neck. She unintentionally brushed her skin along his fang and a tiny red drop of blood fell from a small scratch. He continued to grip her hand as he moved his other arm around to press her against him. He held her still as he licked that little drop, shuddering as the sweet taste caressed his tongue.

He couldn't hold back any longer. He tightened his arm around her as he helplessly sunk his fangs into her neck as slowly and as gently as possible.

He groaned deeply as her blood filled his mouth. After desiring it for so long, the pleasure was overwhelming. His eyes practically rolled into the back of his head as the warm liquid ran down his throat with each swallow. Her blood soothed him as it flowed throughout his body. The pleasurable sensation rushed through his veins and he held onto her to steady himself.

He only let himself drink for several seconds then forced himself to stop before he wanted to. It was incredibly difficult to pull away but she seemed too thin to be giving blood. He kept his face buried in her neck though and he continued to hold her hand. There was a tiny trail of blood that dripped down from one of the fang marks and he gluttonously licked it with his tongue, wanting to savor every drop.

Finally, he made himself pull his head away. She held onto his shoulder as he tried to pull back. He didn't mind though. He just pulled her to lean against his chest as he laid back on the bed, enjoying the feel of her light body weight resting against him.

He looked down to see her eyes were closed and her face was relaxed. He let go of her hand to run his fingers through her hair listening to her heartbeat slow and her breathing even.

She must have been exhausted, because she fell asleep almost instantly. He knew it wasn't from taking her blood because he had barely had a taste. His thirst had receded considerably but it was still there lurking in the back of his mind. The bloodlust was at a tolerable level though and he relaxed his muscles as he sunk into the mattress, letting her sleep on his chest.

He took the opportunity to gaze around the room. Her side was messy but it was mostly papers and things. He noticed that her closet looked empty. It made him want to buy her nice things but he knew she wouldn't want him to. The fact that the bastard human had referred to her as a whore shed some light on the issue. It seemed to at least partially explain why she thought of him paying for school as buying her. He just needed to find a way to convince her that wasn't the case.

He took a deep breath as he turned his head away from her, to look along the wall. Something caught his eye. There was a white strip between the wall and the mattress. It looked like it might be a hidden book.

He reached as far as he could, struggling to keep his body still so he wouldn't wake her. He was able to get the tips of his fingers in contact with the object before he was finally able to grasp it and pull it out.

He stilled when he noticed what it was. It was a wire bound notebook with a clear plastic cover. _The Enigma of History and Mathematics by Hanabusa Aidou._

He gazed back down at the sleeping girl. She had said she didn't want to see him, yet she had kept this. He was certain she wouldn't want to read it. She didn't have a single book related to math or science. Actually, he really didn't know anybody who read this kind of stuff besides him.

He had been distracted by his own distress during that fateful conversation when she had left him. Now he thought back to it and closed his eyes to visualize it in his mind. Being a genius had its perks, and he had a near photographic memory.

During that conversation, she had looked directly at him most of the time. When she had promised not to go back she had been honest. He was certain of it. It was when she had said she didn't want to see him that she had looked away.

He let out a long breath, it was becoming more and more apparent that this girl had no idea what was good for her.

Just then he heard footsteps approaching the door before the knob turned and somebody opened it. Yuuki peered her head around to look in the room. "Aidou-sempai..."

He put a finger over his mouth. "Shhhhh" He shushed as he looked down meaningfully at the sleeping Yori on his chest.

Yuuki looked down at Yori and mouthed an 'Oh' as she tip toed into the room.

Aidou didn't want to get up but he made himself move. He used a hand to support Yori's head and put a pillow under her to replace his chest. He froze when she began to stir but then she sunk into the pillow beneath her, staying in a deep sleep.

He wriggled out from under the rest of her body and was eventually able to get out of bed without waking her up. He realized he still had his thesis in his hand and he moved to put it back between the mattress and the wall.

He took a few steps towards the door before Yuuki stopped him. "I think she needs you." she whispered as she looked down at Yori.

He looked back at Yori as she slept sweetly. "I know." he replied before leaving the room and shutting the door softly behind him.

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**I loved writing this chapter almost as much as I loved writing the next one. ;)**

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	25. Food for Thought

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

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Yori stood up from her desk as the bell rang, signaling that classes were over. It had been especially difficult to concentrate that day even though she felt more rested than she had in weeks. She couldn't believe how quickly she had fallen asleep last night, but she was mortified about how she had acted.

She tried to focus on gathering her things from her desk but couldn't stop thinking about the night before with Aidou. Her eyes still felt heavy from her intense sobbing. She was emotionally drained. Aidou always seemed to be able to pull things out of her that she would normally never tell anybody. What did he think of her now? She found herself worrying that maybe he thought she was crazy. The thought bothered her even though she tried to tell herself she wouldn't see him so it didn't matter anyways.

She probably shouldn't have let him drink her blood, but at that moment she just wanted to be closer to him. It was difficult to ignore the lurking thoughts in her mind that suggested it was the only reason he had come into her room that night. She hated the thought that he might have been trying to take advantage of her and she desperately tried to convince herself that this wasn't the case.

She was about to turn from her desk to leave class when Yuuki stopped her.

"Yori-chan what are you doing for dinner tonight?" she asked sweetly.

Yori sighed as she heard her friend extend the daily invitation. "I'll grab something before I go home." she lied.

Yuuki frowned as she always did when Yori gave this response. "Well...I'll bring you something in case you're hungry later."

Yori knew that she had lost weight and that it worried her friend, but it wasn't like she had been trying to. It was just that recently the thought of food hadn't been appealing. She honestly tried but she just couldn't bring herself to eat anything.

She kept these thoughts to herself and simply forced a smile. "I'd like that."

Yuuki seemed surprised and beamed back at her. "Ok we're having vegetable soup, It's Zero's specialty I know you'll like it!" she said with ridiculous excitement.

Yori felt guilty for lying, but it was difficult to watch Yuuki try so hard to make her feel better. She hated seeing that concerned look in Yuuki's eyes every day and always tried to smile to convince her friend that she was fine, but Yuuki was just too perceptive.

They eventually said their goodbyes and Yori made her way out of the classroom. She stepped into the hallway only to have to quickly press her back against the wall as crowds of girls rushed past her, almost knocking her over in their haste to get to the night class entrance gates. She tried not to think about who they were going to see. The thought of him being surrounded by fangirls made it difficult to breathe, especially after seeing him last night.

She stood stiffly against the wall for several minutes waiting for the herding crowd to dissipate and when it seemed safe, she stood up from the wall and headed towards the building exit.

When she stepped outside she could see the crowds of girls gathering at the night class entrance. It was still fairly light outside but it looked as if the gates were just about to open. The fangirl squeals reached an impossibly high pitch and Yori resisted the urge to cover her ears as she hurried past the scene then took a turn to walk through the trees so she could avoid the crowd.

She yelped when a hand stuck out from out of nowhere and grabbed her around the waist. She was roughly pulled around a tree trunk and her back was pressed up against a hard chest. She was about to scream when a strong hand clasped over her mouth.

"Don't scream, it's me." Aidou's hushed voice spoke from behind her ear.

She took a deep breath to recover from the scare as he took his hand off her mouth and loosened his hold around her waist.

She instantly turned around to yell at him. "Hanabusa! What are you...."

He quickly replaced his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Be quiet! Do you want them to find me?!" he whispered urgently.

She stared at him for a minute, taking in his strange appearance. He was in a dark shirt, tie and sweater-vest instead of his school uniform. That wasn't why he looked strange though. It was the dark sunglasses and casual baseball cap that barely covered his blond hair and contrasted amusingly with his dressy clothes. It was a very silly looking disguise.

He bent his head to look over dark lenses revealing his blue eyes. "Be quiet ok?"

She nodded and he slowly took his hand off her mouth before repositioning the sunglasses on his nose.

"What are you doing?" she immediately spoke when she had the opportunity.

"I came to get you." he said as if that explained everything. Then he peeked around the tree trunk, checking to see if they had been caught.

That had been a mistake, because the second he revealed his head from around the tree one of the girls squealed and pointed in their direction.

"Look it's Idol-sempai!" she exclaimed as several of the other girls turned to see the idolized night class student trying to hide behind a tree.

"Shit." Aidou said under his breath. "Lets get out of here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him to run in the opposite direction of the crowd.

Yori struggled to keep up with him hearing girly screams approaching behind them. He pulled her along relentlessly and she had to put all of her attention into putting one foot in front of the other as she watched the ground to stop from tripping over twigs and branches. He really needed to learn that she couldn't run this fast.

Despite their pace Yori somehow managed to keep up with him until the sound of high pitched squeals became more and more distant before finally disappearing all together.

He finally stopped and Yori had to dig her heels into the ground to stop herself from bumping into his back from the momentum.

"Seems like it's safe now." he said as he glanced behind them.

Yori took the opportunity to put her hands on her knees and gasp for air. That was more exercise than she'd had in months! The muscles in her legs burned from the exertion.

He stood patiently and leaned against a tree trunk to wait for her to catch her breath. The fact that he could stand there so totally unaffected by running that far aggravated her.

She spoke between labored breaths. "You...look....ridiculous."

He glanced down at her before taking off the baseball cap and running his hand through his hair. If she hadn't needed to breathe so heavily she would have laughed at him for so obviously trying to fix his appearance.

He then lifted his sunglasses to rest them over his hair. "Well, I was _trying_ not to get discovered."

She started to breathe easier and rolled her eyes. "You could have just waited until I got back to my room." she stated the obvious.

He actually managed to pull off a pout that looked adorable. "I wanted to catch ya before you got back."

He had apparently decided that his promise not to see her any more no longer applied, and she couldn't blame him since she had technically tried to go back on hers as well. If she was perfectly honest with herself though, she would have admitted that she also just wanted to see him.

So instead of telling him he shouldn't be talking to her, she decided to ask him what he was up to. "What do you want?"

He straightened and took a couple steps towards her so he could take her hand in his. "I'm taking you out." he said as he gave her a flirtatious wink before turning around and giving her hand a gentle tug to try to get her to follow him.

She pulled back against his hand refusing to budge. "I don't want to." she said.

He stopped and turned to look down at her. "Don't you want to get out of here?"

"Well...yes but..."

"Then come on." he said as he tried to pull her hand again.

Why did he have to be so frustratingly persistent? It could be so aggravating! She dug her heals into the ground. "I don't want you to spend money on me!" she practically yelled in her effort to get him to listen.

He stopped tugging at her hand and frowned. "I'm not trying to buy you Yori-chan."

She was surprised he had been so direct and it took her a minute to respond. "It's just that...you're already paying for my school and..." she trailed off. She almost felt sorry but she just couldn't let him pay for things. The idea of accepting anything else from him bothered her.

He sighed and took a step towards her. "You sure?" His blue eyes met hers as he spoke.

She was surprised at the question and shyly avoided eye contact. She felt like she should apologize. "I'm sorry. I just can't." she said sadly.

He put a hand on his chin as if deep in thought. Then smiled as if something had just occurred to him. "Ok I know a place that's free." He said as he started to walk in a different direction still holding her hand and tugging at it gently.

"Free?" she asked to his back as she followed him.

"Yeah it's pretty good too."

She let him pull her along and he continued to hold her hand as they walked together. His fingers wrapped around hers firmly and she blushed slightly at the warm feeling of his hand enveloping her smaller one. Even with all the things they had done together, somehow holding hands outside like this seemed intimate.

She followed him silently, distracted by where their skin touched. It took her awhile before she noticed the direction they were heading in.

"We're going back to school?" she had no idea what he was up to now.

"Ummm not exactly." he said over his shoulder.

It looked to her like that was where they were going. As the large campus building came into view, she noticed that the night class students had made it into the building and the daily event at the gates was over. Still, they stuck to the trees as Aidou kept an eye out for the possibility of straggling day class students.

She had expected them to head to the front of the building, but instead he took her around the side. "We're going to the Chairman's?" she asked.

"Yep" he responded as they reached a small side door. He stood in front of it and knocked loudly.

It seemed like a strange place for him to take her and she mostly just stayed silent out of curiosity to see what he was about to do.

The door opened to reveal Yuuki. Her hair and uniform looked slightly mussed, probably from trying to keep back crowds of day class girls that had tried to trample over her.

"Aidou-sempai..." She seemed like she was about to tell him something, but Aidou just pushed past her and stepped into the small room, pulling Yori behind him. "Oh Yori-chan..." She looked at Yori with surprise.

Aidou stood tall in the entryway. He let go of Yori's hand so he could cross his arms in front of him and haughtily stick his nose in the air.

"I'm hungry." He announced as if it was an order.

Yori's jaw dropped. Was he always this rude?

"Oh...." Yuuki stalled and then looked from him to Yori. "Oh! That's great! I'll tell Zero to make extra!" she said with bizarre enthusiasm as she turned to head into the kitchen.

Yori was amazed at how far Yuuki's hospitality extended. She found herself starting to get concerned that her friend just didn't know how to say no to people.

"C'mon." Aidou said as he turned around to take her hand again.

She followed him into a small dining room with a long rectangular table. The room was cozy with soft yellow light and a large window. She glanced out the window noticing that the sky was a deep blue and it was starting to get dark outside. Somehow, the dark window mixed with the softly lit room gave it a comforting feel.

Aidou stepped around the table and pulled out a chair. He stood behind it and looked at her expectantly. She stared at him dumbly for a minute before realizing he was pulling it out for her. It felt strange to have him act like this towards her even though it seemed to go along with his wealthy upbringing. It was now more apparent than ever that he had grown up learning formalities.

She moved to sit in the chair as he pushed it in for her, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the gesture. She wasn't used to this type of attention and nervously put her hands in her lap.

He seemed relaxed as he sat down in the chair diagonally from her, leaning back and crossing his legs.

"I take it you've done this before?" she tried to break the awkward silence.

"Uhhhhh yeah." he said vaguely.

They were quiet for a minute and she heard noises from the other side of the kitchen door. There was the sound of dishes clattering and Zero and Yuuki's hushed voices. Yori couldn't help but be curious, so she listened intently.

"Help me with these." Yuuki's voice sounded from the other room.

"What the hell does he want? I'm not giving this to him!" said a deeper male voice.

"Please Zero."

"Fine!"

With that final word, Zero appeared in the doorway with Yuuki in tow behind him. Yori desperately tried not to laugh at his appearance. He had on an apron and was carrying a large bowl of soup. His eyes were giving off a deadly glare under his messy silver hair. He was obviously trying to look scary but it wasn't working at all. He just looked amusingly domesticated.

Yori had to force herself not to smile, and roughly bit her tongue. She sat back so Yuuki could rush around the table and put food in front of her.

"I'm sure you'll like this. Zero makes the best vegetable soup!" she said as she joyfully set the large bowl on the table.

Yori was about to say thank you when a loud crash sounded as Zero slammed the bowl in front of Aidou, hard enough to shake the table and slosh the soup, spilling some off the edge of the bowl. He then turned around and stormed out of the room.

Yuuki grimaced. "I think he's just tired." She lamely excused him then turned around to go back into the kitchen, calling after him.

It was only quiet for a few seconds before Yori couldn't hold it anymore. She burst out laughing.

Aidou gave her an exasperated look. "Well I'm glad that made you happy! He spilled it on my clothes!" He picked up a napkin and tried to wipe a stain off his sweater.

His distress only made the situation more amusing and Yori put a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back giggles. It felt like it had been ages since something had made her laugh.

As she wiped tears of mirth away from her eyes, Aidou set an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm. "You should laugh like that more often." he said as he gazed over at her.

She looked down at the bowl of soup in front of her, slightly uncomfortable from his obvious staring. She noticed large pieces of carrots and potatoes floating around in the red broth. Until today she hadn't known that Zero ever cooked. It seemed very unlike him.

As she stared at the food she noticed Aidou was being extremely quiet and she looked up to see that he was looking at her as if he was waiting for something.

It took her a minute to realize he was waiting for her to start eating first. She wondered if that was another type of polite formality. Well, she wasn't hungry but if it would get him to stop staring at her she figured she could at least take a few bites, so she picked up her spoon and scooped up some of the broth before bringing it to her mouth and swallowing it down.

She stilled as the salty warm broth hit her taste buds. It was _amazing_! When did a guy like Zero learn to cook like this?

"See, I told you it's pretty good here." Aidou said as he picked up his spoon. "Too bad the service is horrible."

She smiled as she sipped more of the broth. "You do realize this isn't a restaurant right?"

"Hrmph" he all but grunted. "If it was, then Kiryuu would put the place out of business."

"Why doesn't he like you?" she asked before scooping another spoon full and biting down on a carrot.

"He's jealous of my good looks." He said as if it was obvious, making her smile.

As she swallowed down some more of the soup she wondered what Yuuki and Zero were up to. Normally she would have thought it was unusual that they weren't eating with them but from the way Zero had acted, it was obvious he couldn't handle being in the same room with Aidou. It was strange because the two seemed somewhat alike in both their graceful manner and almost ethereal appearance. _Wait a minute..._

"He's a vampire!" she exclaimed out loud as soon as the realization hit her.

Aidou actually sputtered, spraying soup out of his mouth in shock. "How'd you figure that out?!" he asked in surprise.

Yori shrugged as she chewed and swallowed a piece of a potato. "I dunno. You all seem to have a different air about you."

He looked at her for awhile before speaking seriously. "Look you shouldn't say anything about him. A lot of people don't know, including some of the night class."

"Who would I tell?" she replied.

He seemed satisfied with that and went back to his food. She swallowed a few more spoonfulls as she continued to find the situation somewhat amusing. It seemed like Aidou was protecting Zero in a way, and he didn't even seem to realize it. She still wondered why they didn't like each other but it seemed somewhat superficial so she didn't let it bother her.

She looked down at her bowl to see that it was almost empty. She made a mental note to take Yuuki up on the offer next time she said Zero was cooking.

After taking a few more bites she leaned back in her chair and put a hand over her stomach. She felt stuffed and she closed her eyes feeling both satiated and fatigued from eating.

"Finished?" he asked.

"mmmhmm"

She heard him stand up from the table and looked to see him walking around to stand behind her chair again. "We should get going." he said as he waited for her to stand.

She scooted back and moved to stand up. "We should take the dishes to the kitchen" she thought maybe she should inform him that Zero and Yuuki weren't their servants.

He looked over at the kitchen door silently for a few seconds before speaking. "ummmm I think they're busy."

She stared towards the kitchen wondering what he had meant as he put a hand on her back to lead her to the entryway. He opened the main door for her and waited for her to go first. She wondered if she could ever get used to him acting like this towards her.

When they stepped through the door it was dark outside. Aidou didn't take his hand off her lower back as they walked together. He was being so nice to her and it felt slightly overwhelming. Even this small touch made her worry. She instantly started to feel the need to distance herself again.

They reached a fork in the sidewalk and she stopped to look up at him. "Well I should get back." She said uncomfortably.

He kept his hand on her lower back and gave a slight pout. "I wanted to show you something."

She started to try to find a way to politely refuse him. "I'm sorry but..."

He kissed her then. She was so shocked that she stood frozen still. He kept his lips closed as he softly pressed them against hers. His mouth felt warm and her heart instantly beat at twice the rate it had been beating before. She was too surprised to respond, but he didn't seem to mind. He just took his time kissing her slowly and chastely before pulling away enough to look her in the eyes.

"This is important to me." he said.

The way he had kissed her and then spoken so seriously made her wonder what on earth he could be intending to show her. She found herself wanting to go with him out of pure curiosity. Still, it probably wasn't a very good idea.

"It won't take long." He continued when she didn't respond.

She let out a breath she had been holding and she found herself giving in to the temptation. "Alright."

He gave her a smile before moving to hold her hand, as if still worried she might try to leave. She walked with him silently. Still feeling slightly light headed from the way he had kissed her and the way he was again holding her hand.

"Where are we going?" she wanted to break the uncomfortable silence.

"The moon dorms." he replied casually.

She stopped walking instantly. Was this all just an elaborate plot to get her to jump in bed with him? She couldn't help but wonder.

He must have known exactly what she was thinking because he started to explain. "I swear I just want to show you something there. I'm not trying to take advantage of you."

He seemed sincere, but she still worried. She didn't want to be surrounded by vampires in their home again. "I don't like it there." She told him.

"Don't worry." he said gently. "Nobody's there right now, they're all in class." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "You can trust me."

Yori couldn't believe she was letting him convince her, but he was doing a very good job at it. She found herself walking with him again feeling butterflies in her stomach and still wondering what type of important thing he wanted to show her.

It didn't take long for them to reach the moon dorm building. He opened the large door for her, and she stepped in pensively, sticking her head in first to make sure nobody was around.

He laughed at her antics. "Even if they were here. it's not like they'd try to eat you."

She gave him a look to let him know she wasn't buying it, but he didn't seem to notice. He just turned to walk through the lobby.

When he noticed she wasn't following him he stopped and turned to face her. "Well, are you coming?"

She took another breath to steady herself and then followed behind him. They walked down a darkened hallway on the first floor. As with the last time she was here she found herself noticing just how extravagant this building was. The day class dorms were nice but apparently more attention was given to the living area for the night class students. She idly wondered if it was the chairman's way of trying to appease the vampires.

He stopped in front of a tall door all the way at the end of the hallway then opened it and waited for her to go inside.

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**Bad spot for a break I know, so please just continue to the next chapter.**


	26. Lesson Learned

**This is a rewritten version of the end of chapter 25. You MUST read it because it is very different. (besides I deleted the previous version muahahaha)**

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As Yori entered the room she immediately noticed the comforting smell of dust and ink that reminded her of the library at school. The shelves almost reached the ceiling, lining the walls with books. They were all hard cover and had an aged look about them that seemed to indicate their importance. She couldn't help but walk along the shelves, running her fingers along their bindings.

Upon scanning the titles, she realized they were all books about vampires and she instantly took in a breath of fascination. Books on this subject would have never interested her before but now she knew these beings actually existed. Because she was in a building where vampire's lived she knew instantly that the information bound within these titles would be accurately informative.

She stopped and brushed her fingers along the cool dark leather of one that seemed older than the rest.

"Go ahead."

She startled at the deep sound of his voice, having been so absorbed by the amount of literature around her. Glancing up from the book under her fingers, she noticed that he was leaning against the shelves with his arms crossed, completely relaxed and watching her patiently.

She bravely took the aged book off the shelf and opened it, gently turning the thin and weathered pages. Even the title looked gothic with letters that threaded across the page in an ancient style. _Pureblood Family History. _

"What's Pureblood?" she asked absentmindedly, not really expecting an answer.

"It's a type of vampire." he told her calmly.

Her head instantly shot out of the book. "There are different types of vampires?"

He smiled at her seemingly amused at her naiveté. "Yeah."

Just the idea that there was more than one type of vampire immediately alerted her to the fact that she really knew nothing about them. She glanced around the room again, realizing just how many books there were and just how much she could actually learn in this room.

"I can read these?" Her voice betrayed her excitement at the thought.

He just smiled at her again. "Take whichever you like."

In the back of her mind she wondered at his purpose for taking her here, but her interest in reading the books in front of her quickly took over. She carefully replaced the one in her hands back on the shelf, sliding it between two other titles that also looked aged and cared for.

As she strolled along the shelves the enormity of information became slightly overwhelming. She didn't know where to begin. There were so many and she wanted to read all of them! Yori instantly realized she could probably spend hours in this room just reading. It had a cool dark atmosphere that felt very private and secretive, even better than the corner she had claimed at the library.

Aidou had apparently noticed her indecision. "Would you like me to make a suggestion?"

She glanced over at him slightly relieved. "Would you?"

He nodded before strolling to stand next to her, then reached up to one of the top shelves. He took out a thick book with a dark cover and held it out for her. Her hand brushed across his as she took it from him. It had looked like he had moved just slightly so that their hands would touch, but she couldn't be sure.

Reverently holding the book in her hands she read the title. _Vampire Society and Culture_. Her lips curved slightly at the corners. For some reason this title amused her. Vampire culture? Then it dawned on her that it would make sense for them to have a different idea of social status. Drinking blood would have to dramatically change a person's outlook on life.

She was about to open the cover when she felt his arms enclose around her from behind. He took her in a warm embrace and nuzzled her hair gently. At first she stiffened but then she felt a soft heat that seemed to emanate from his body to hers, surrounding and relaxing her. After feeling so lonely for the past several weeks it was difficult to resist being held so gently. She leaned back, resting her head on his chest. He felt solid and strong, as if he could support her endlessly.

"Hanabusa..." her voice came out soft and breathless.

"Hmmm?" he hummed into her hair, the sound creating a soft vibration from his chest that ran along her spine.

She closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, allowing herself to enjoy being close to him. His hands gently rubbed her stomach as if knowing exactly where desire pooled within her. Lean muscles enclosed around her, sheltering her and holding her steadily.

Air floated over her skin as she felt him take in a deep breath above her erratically beating pulse, like he was inhaling her scent. It was one of the first signs of his thirst that she had begun to recognize. The brush of his breath made her skin tingle with anticipation. Giving blood to him was one of the most pleasurable sensations she had ever known. Maybe she should have been ashamed for being such a willing sacrifice, but it was something she secretly longed for. At this moment it didn't matter to her if he was taking advantage.

"Your thirsty again?" she asked as her cheeks grew warm at the thought that she actually wanted him to say yes.

He stilled, muscles tensing slightly around her. It seemed almost as if she had offended him somehow but she didn't understand why.

She spoke again, trying to explain herself. "I don't mind." Her heart beat faster at the thought he might refuse, even though he never had before.

He was silent for so long, just standing there with his arms around her and his nose above her pulse. Bending her head slightly to the side, she taunted him revealing more of her neck. His breathing became deeper as if he were running a mile rather than standing still. Desire for blood was showing in his reaction to her. his lips touched her skin with a soft kiss and she held her breath anticipating the dull pain of his fangs.

It didn't come though. Instead he just kissed her lightly and she continued to hold her breath, not knowing what to expect. Her concentration was so absorbed in the feel of his lips on her skin that at first she didn't notice his hands moving over her stomach. She glanced down to see long fingers deftly undoing the buttons of her uniform.

He had said before that he wanted more than her blood. Was this what he meant? Tears clung to her lashes even as heat washed over her. The emotions of fear and sexual desire contrasted sharply within her. It seemed he wanted all of her and she knew she wouldn't refuse him. As if in a trance, she watched his hands move closer to her face with each button, loosening the front of her shirt.

Her hands gripped the book as the last button was undone and the front of her school uniform hung loosely along her sides, baring a white strip of naked flesh. Her eyes followed his hand as his fingers disappeared beneath the cloth and moved to touch her breast. A moan escaped her lips as his fingers enclosed around her nipple, squeezing it gently.

She felt him place more kisses along her neck as he pulled the material of her uniform away from her shoulders, following the cloth with his lips. Her chest was completely bared and her nipples tightened as they were exposed to the cool air of the room. She immediately closed her eyes, not wanting to look at the way her skin seemed to stretch across her bones. Goosebumps formed on her torso despite the warmth of his hands as they brushed over her ribs.

"I know you don't see it." His voice was deep and mesmerizing and although she allowed it to soothe her, she was filled with confusion over the meaning of his words.

"See what?" she asked as she felt his hands travel upwards, brushing lightly along her skin as they traveled to the undersides of her breasts..

"How beautiful you are." he said as his hands cupped their slight weight, kneading the supple skin.

Despite his soft touch and soothing voice, those words seemed to hit a tender spot inside her. She felt a single hot tear trickle down her cheek as her vision became slightly blurred. All the physical cruelty she had endured was nothing compared to this emotional battering. Angry yelling would have been tolerable but being touched so gently as his voice whispered to her, tore her apart. Shame filled her at the thought of how her body must look. In the past several weeks she hadn't been eating with the subconscious intention to make herself slowly whither away in the hopes that she could eventually disappear. Now, she felt the sudden urge to apologize, but she didn't know to whom she owed the remorse.

"Everything about you is beautiful." he spoke against her shoulder before kissing her softly, as if trying to comfort her.

She clung to the sound of his voice as her body seemed to sway back and forth. It felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and he was the only one keeping her from falling. The way he was slowly stripping away barriers she had so carefully erected around her heart made her feel dreadfully exposed and uneasy. The cloth of her uniform slid along her upper arms as he pulled it lower and she protectively pressed the book against her stomach, stopping it from moving any further.

His hands moved to cover hers, gently coaxing her to relax. He rubbed his palms against her fingers, massaging the muscles until she let the tension in them release. Her mind seemed detached from her body and she watched his hands take the book from hers as if it was happening to somebody else or like she was viewing it from a distance. She seemed to instinctively cloud her mind all on her own, not wanting to register what was happening. The events around her seemed unreal and she remained motionless as he placed the book back on the shelf, laying it on top of the others.

Even though her body had no dark bruises, she felt like they were still there and the way he was so slowly undressing her made the room seem to close in around her. While his hands pulled her shirt down her arms she continued to deny reality. Her brain became increasingly fuzzy, trying to ignore the sound of the cloth falling in a clump on the floor around her feet.

A small whimper escaped her throat revealing her sense of helplessness. Her hands started to shake. She would have collapsed then and there if he hadn't wrapped his arms around her, holding her comfortingly against him.

"Shhhh, you have nothing to be ashamed of." he spoke softly into her ear, whispering words of understanding.

She took in a shaky breath as she let his voice anchor her to the ground. He had seen her naked before, so feeling fear didn't make sense. But the way he was doing this somehow felt different. Maybe it was just the room or the fact that it had been so long since he had touched her like this. All she knew for sure was that he was the only one who could ever undress her so completely. He was the only person she had ever let in.

Her mind raced through these thoughts as his hands moved to the zipper at the waist of her skirt. Then her heart doubled in speed as she realized he wasn't going to stop. With gentle persistence he pulled down the zipper, the sound of the metal seemed to echo throughout the room. She turned her head, burying it in the muscles of his shoulder as her skirt loosened then fell to the floor. It was too difficult to watch him do this and she closed her eyes, trying to hide as hot shame traveled through her veins.

His hands were stroking her softly, moving along the skin that stretched over her ribs and over her flat stomach. She pictured her body in her mind, a disgusting skeleton of flesh. Heat flushed her cheeks and she squeezed her eyes shut as her body quivered from the feather light brush of his fingers.

Like a stone statue, she was completely unable to move, even as his hand slipped underneath the white cloth of her underwear and his fingers touched her intimately. Moist heat formed at her center as her body completely betrayed her mind, reacting openly to his touch. With him it didn't seem to matter where they were or how much she tried to deny it, she still wanted him to touch her and her thighs squeezed his hand between her legs revealing her innermost thoughts. She felt his other hand at the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. He turned her away from his chest and she allowed him to bend her head slightly so she was facing the floor.

"I want you to watch." his voice spoke into her ear seductively.

She didn't know why but she did as he commanded, opening her eyes to see the view below her. Her body was naked and her breasts hung in front of her, nipples hardened into little nubs from arousal and the cool atmosphere. His forearm was surrounded in the dark cloth of his shirt and was pressed against her stomach, contrasting greatly with her pale skin. She could see slight movement from his hand that was hidden between her legs underneath the white cotton fabric of her underwear. It looked...sexy.

Seeing his forearm move slightly in rhythm with his fingers in the folds of her flesh was breathtaking. Another moan escaped her as she watched his arm move lower and felt one of his fingers slip inside her. The way he was touching her made the sound of her own heart hammer in her head, and her hips began moving against his hand as her body tried to bring itself to climax.

Deep sounds traveled to her ear with his warm breath as he spoke to her, but her mind couldn't register anything he was saying. The pounding pleasure in her head was far too loud and the movement of his fingers inside her caused helpless moans to sound from her throat as her inner muscles clenched around him. All she could do was grip the arm around her waist as he supported her through one tremor of her orgasm to another. The initial fear of him exposing her body and removing walls around her secrets only seemed to intensify the experience and her muscles shook with each wave of her climax.

She didn't know how long she stood there letting him support her. The deep thumping of her heart gradually softened as her breathing slowly became easier. The fog in her mind dissipated and reality began to settle in.

It wasn't until much later that she noticed that the entire length of his body was pressed against hers. He was still holding her tightly as he took in deep breaths, struggling with his own desire. It may have just been a desire for blood. It was impossible for her to tell for sure. All she knew was that she was finally able to breathe normally but he was still struggling for air. His hands moved to her hips and pulled her back slightly so their bodies pressed together. Instantly she felt his hardened arousal as it pressed into her more pliant body.

"You do this to me." his lips moved over her ear with each word as his husky voice caused another wave of desire to wash over her.

Even though she had never thought of herself as being beautiful, she could at least believe that he thought she was. To others this may not have seemed like much but the thought warmed her to the core. For the time being, she could feel beautiful in his eyes even if she wasn't in her own.

Something sharp brushed against her neck, bringing her thoughts back to her present position. He was thirsty, but for some reason he was holding back. Again she moved her head to the side trying to let him know he had her permission. His tongue brushed wetly along an extremely sensitive spot on the side of her neck. At first she didn't understand why it felt sore but then she remembered the night before. There was still a wound there from his last bite. Was that why he didn't want to? She wondered if she should have been ashamed to admit that the already existing bite marks didn't cause her to feel any reservations. She still wanted him to continue.

He remained silent and still with his mouth above the previous fang marks and she took in a shaky breath, before attempting to speak her mind.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, but it doesn't bother me." She squeezed her eyes close and revealed a small piece of her heart. "It's probably wrong but...I want you to."

He still didn't respond. The silence seemed to stretch endlessly and she bit down hard on her lip to try to brace herself for him to either take blood from her or even worse, refuse her. What would he think of her now? A human girl who would give him blood so willingly over and over again. The odd thing was that unlike just about everything else in her life, when it came to him drinking her blood, she didn't feel shame.

"There's nothing wrong with you." He finally spoke keeping his mouth over her neck. "It's supposed to be this way."

Even as he tried to reassure her she could tell he was struggling to hold back. Each word had come out forced and his voice was rough. Every muscle in his body was tense and he was gripping her hips tightly, digging his fingers into her sides. She moved her hands over his as he had done to her before, trying to relax the tension in the muscles of his fingers.

It worked, his breathing slowed slightly as his hands relaxed. It would have relaxed her as well if he hadn't begun pulling the sides of her underwear lower. The material slipped over her hips and along her thighs. Stopping him was completely beyond her and she wasn't sure if she wanted to anyways. There wasn't a single thing they had done together that she had ever regretted.

"I should have told you a long time ago." he said as he straightened behind her, snaking an arm around her waist to hold her steady.

She felt him fumbling behind her before his naked arousal pressed warmly against her. "What?" she asked breathlessly, amazed she could even speak.

He pressed himself firmly at the juncture between her thighs and she moaned helplessly as her body swayed. Unable to stand on her feet alone she leaned forward, grasping the bookshelf in front of her for support. Without tensing or using any effort at all, he lifted her hips slightly, almost causing her feet to lift off the floor. Another moan escaped from her lips as she felt his length slightly penetrating her.

"I told you I wanted more than your blood." It still sounded like it was difficult for him to speak and he leaned over her, with his chest pressed warmly against her back. His hair brushed against her cheek as he lowered his head over her neck and breathed in deeply, taking in her scent.

"When I bite you it means something more." His mouth was moving against her neck with each word and she quivered with anticipation. He pushed inside her, stretching her completely. It was an intensely pleasurable sensation and she found herself pushing the bookshelf in front of her, trying to take in more of him.

"Hanabusa...please." She managed to voice words through short gasps. The feel of him inside her yet not moving at all was slowly killing her. The room they were in no longer existed. All of her attention was focused on her increasing desire and the way he was almost unbearably stretching her inner walls.

But he didn't seem to listen and instead held still, not moving her and not biting her. It was torture, but as always he somehow managed to maintain control.

"Yori..." His voice was coarse. "I want you to know..." he spoke as he pushed inside her a little bit more, making her muscles involuntarily spasm around him. He shuddered slightly but continued to grip her hips firmly, not letting her move. "I want you to know that when I bite you I..." He let out his breath all at once with his struggle to speak, but she didn't care. The almost painful pleasure of feeling him inside her was too much and she squirmed underneath him.

"Ahhh jesus don't do that." he said shakily.

"What...this?" She ignored him and tightened her inner walls around him again, bringing out yet another delightful tremor from his body. She would have smirked if it hadn't caused her to have the same response.

His breathing became increasingly labored and his mouth moved over the mark on her neck. He didn't give up though and he spoke one last time. "Yori, I love you."

Her mind was so clouded with desire that she didn't have time to process his confession. He moved too quickly, sinking his fangs into the sensitive wound on her neck. Her loud cry echoed around the room as he bit through the previous marks. Sharp pain was immediately proceeded by a feeling of raw ecstasy as her blood flowed into him.

It was then that he finally began moving inside her, and if he hadn't been holding her up she was sure she would have fallen to the floor. He moved in and out of her with hard and sure strokes, pressing her up against the shelves with her cheek against the cool surface of hard-covered books. The warmth of his chest pressed against her back and she felt him moaning deeply against her neck with each thrust.

She couldn't hold back for long. Moans of pleasure sounded around the room and she wasn't quite sure if they were coming form her, but they must have been. Her walls coiled tightly around his length as the full intensity of the sensations hit her. Waves of pleasure spiraled throughout her body yet again and she let herself be taken over the edge. Maintaining her hold on the shelves in front of her was impossible and his arm around her waist tightened as he completely supporting her. He came inside her while biting harder on the skin of her neck. His entire body shuddered against hers as he groaned deeply with the intensity of his orgasm.

After one last tremor, his body relaxed and he leaned against her tiredly. She was pressed up against the shelves but she didn't mind as exhaustion took over. Their labored pants filled the room as they both tried to recover. She felt him pull his fangs out of her neck and begin licking the skin around the tender wound. Intimate silence passed between them. It was exquisitely private and although there were things she wanted to say she didn't want to disturb the peaceful serenity of being so close to him. The first sound that interrupted the effect was her gasp as he pulled out of her, rubbing the sensitive flesh.

He lowered her feet to the ground but she couldn't hold herself up at all. The shaking muscles in her legs wouldn't support her. It didn't matter though because he continued to hold her as he turned her around to face him.

He bent his head and kissed her, pressing his tongue gently between her lips. It felt different from any other time they had kissed since the sexual tension was gone, but he continued to kiss her anyways, stroking the inside of her mouth with his tongue and rubbing his lips softly against hers. Her heart ached from everything they had just done and she found herself leaning into him even as he lifted his head. He didn't pull away and she rested her forehead against his chest.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" he spoke into her hair as his arms tensed around her possessively. He seemed worried about her response and held her as if trying to stop her from getting away.

There was no way she could ever say no to this question. The thought of going home and sleeping alone that night made her feel empty inside. The first time she had told him to stay away from her had literally almost broken her. Now that he had returned to her life she could never go back to the dark existence she had somehow survived over the past several weeks.

She smiled secretly to herself as she realized despite all these thoughts she couldn't put any of them into words. Instead, she just nodded against his chest.

He let out a breath that he had apparently been holding. As he bent down to dress himself she placed her hands on his shoulders, still trying to keep from falling. Even inches apart felt like vast distances as he stepped away slightly, grabbing her clothes off the floor.

She began to feel uncomfortable and was about to say something when the breath was knocked out of her as he swiftly picked her up with one arm under her knees and the other behind her back. He turned to leave.

"Wait Hanabusa!"

He stopped. "What?"

She reached an arm towards the shelf. "My book."

He stepped back enough so she could grab it in her outstretched hand. Then turned to leave the room with her in his arms.

* * *

Kain was dead tired when he finally got back to the moon dorms from class. He wondered where the heck his idiot cousin had been lately. Aidou had apparently decided he no longer needed to go to class because he hadn't shown up in ages. Kain let out a sigh as he wondered how he should go about scolding his reckless and impulsive cousin.

Some of the other night class students had also just returned and were sitting and socializing in the lobby. Normally he would stay but he was too tired tonight and just wanted to get some rest. So he headed up the stairs anxious to get to his room and lay in his comfortable bed.

He finally got to his door only to see that a white piece of paper was taped to it with scribbled writing.

_Go away Akatsuki._

What the hell? It was so like Hanabusa to think he owned the place. Kain was about to open the door anyways when he heard a female moan come from inside the room. He stilled and was thankful nobody else was around to see his cheeks slightly color in a very undignified blush.

He put a hand over his face as he walked away from the room. It looked like he'd be sleeping on the couch again. As usual, Aidou owed him big time for this.

But even though he was tired and annoyed with his cousin, Kain couldn't help but let a small and uncharacteristic smile escape his lips.

* * *

**I realized before that I hadn't taken enough care with this scene in a subconscious effort to detach myself from the characters because I'm sad that this story has to end. I like this version MUCH better and I certainly hope you did too.**

**I will probably also selfishly take my time with the next chapter. Hopefully the wait will be worth it though. **

* * *


	27. Parental Control

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters.**

**Sorry for the delay, but time has passed in the story as well so maybe it will seem somewhat fluent. I thought I'd be writing an ending, but it turns out that a lot has happened to the characters while I've been away...**

* * *

"This should cover her to the end of the year." Aidou said as he set a sealed envelope on the chairman's desk. This was the now the third time he had been here to pay for her. The past month had only felt like days. Time flew when he spent every blissful moment with Yori.

The chairman, who had just been trying to get him to try fresh baked cookies made with a new recipe, picked up the envelope thoughtfully.

"My my you do like to pay this in big chunks don't you?" he said bemused.

Aidou resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had just left from a long night of classes and the only reason he had attended was because the chairman had taken notice of his frequent absences over the past several weeks. Apparently going to school was some kind of required formality. It gave him another reason to dislike the man sitting in front of him. Also, his mood wasn't helped by the fact that he hadn't taken any blood tablets that day. Needless to say he was just a little cranky.

"It's already spring and this just covers until summer break. So it's not quite as big as your thinking. Not that it's any of your business. " Aidou snapped as he tried to control a temper that was fueled by a lurking thirst.

The chairman instantly changed from eccentric homemaker to utterly serious negotiator. "When my daughter's best friend starts spending every waking hour with a vampire of your reputation, I make it my business."

"I don't have time for this." Aidou said as he felt his fangs begin to lengthen. He forced himself to think about anything but the taste of blood. "I already told you a thousand times. I'm not going to do anything to hurt her."

The chairman gave a goofy grin. "Please please, I don't mean any offense." He put his hands in front of him with his palms forward as if trying to defend a frontal attack. "I just want to ask you a few questions. Why don't you have a seat?"

"I'd rather stand. Make this quick." Aidou said, ignoring the brown leather chair next to him. His hand moved to his pocket, instinctively looking for the tin of tablets. Of course it wasn't there because it was sitting on his desk in his room. What a great place for it.

"Ok then, how long do you intend to pay for her tuition?"

Aidou tapped his foot. "Until she graduates of course. Is that it?" Patience was not his virtue.

"What about her family? Does her stepfather know about this?"

Aidou was momentarily surprised. In the few times he'd been in this office, the man had never asked about her family, or lack there of.

"He knows enough." _Like to stay the fuck away from her._

"I've tried calling her house but there's no answer." The chairman leaned back and folded his arms. "I'm going to send a letter tomorrow."

"Don't do that." Came Aidou's too quick response.

The chairman raised an eyebrow under his silver glasses. "Why?"

Aidou tried to hide the flash of red in his eyes with a long blink. "Because he doesn't belong anywhere near her." _and would be better off dead._

"And you do?" the chairman shot back.

"Yes."

"What about after she graduates?"

"What are you, her father now?"

"Apparently she needs one."

Aidou stilled. There was nothing he could say to that. The statement was true enough. He just hadn't expected the chairman to take on the role without any knowledge of why she couldn't go home. The sudden questions implied that the man at least had suspicions.

"Why doesn't her stepfather belong in her life?" the chairman pressed.

It was becoming obvious he knew something. Aidou just wasn't sure how much. Still, he refused to give anything away freely. Yori would never forgive him if he revealed her secrets.

"I can't tell you. It would upset her and she would probably hate me for it." He plopped down on the leather chair as he spoke. This conversation would take longer than he had originally expected and sitting was the best way to keep him from escaping out the door and heading straight to Yori's room. Actually, that wouldn't be the best decision anyways since he would probably attack her neck the second he saw her. He made a mental note to go home for blood tablets, then directly to her room.

"You need to tell me about this. It's for her benefit." The sound of the chairman's voice brought him out of his brain's incessant focus on the taste of Yori's blood.

"How so?" He asked as he tried not to bite his own tongue.

"Obviously if there's something wrong at home, I need to know about it. She's too young to not have a guardian. She needs someone to look out for her."

"What do you think I've been doing?"

"Don't you think it would be good for her to have a family though? People caring for her in a way that isn't quite so...." the chairman stalled, apparently searching for the right word.

"Vampiric?" Aidou supplied, not bothering to hide the menace in his tone.

"Well.." the chairman managed to look sheepish. "I was going to say romantic but...yes that's part of the issue as well."

"I already told you. I'm not going to hurt her." He spoke while grinding his teeth.

"Yes I believe you, but if something is wrong at her home she needs support, and not just from a...boyfriend. Plus I know you can't exactly bring her home and introduce her to your family. Besides, if you don't tell me, I will still find out on my own." The last part was spoken too gently to really be considered a threat.

The pathetically domesticated man was right, and Aidou hated to admit it but it would be good for her to have a healthy relationship with a more father-like figure, even if he was a blubbering idiot. Still, there were problems with exposing this information.

"I don't want to upset her." It was something he was extremely sure about, but his voice wavered.

"I already looked into her background." The chairman flipped through some papers on his desk. "I knew she didn't have much money so I wasn't surprised that her house was in a bad part of town. Her checks for school came from a distant relative. I thought maybe it was her biological father, but he's listed as unknown on her birth certificate."

"Her aunt."

"Right." He stopped at a paper and scanned it as if refreshing his memory. "Looks like her mother died in a car accident. Sorry, I realize you probably know this already"

Aidou tried to hide that much of this information was new to him. It wasn't like any of it was shocking or unusual. It just hurt to know that she hadn't even told him the simplest things, like how her mother had died or that she never knew her father. She still kept parts of herself hidden from him. It was like she was still just out of his grasp, and all he could think of was crushing her in his arms.

"It seems she lived with just her brother and stepfather before coming to school here." The chairman continued. "Last month her stepfather spent a night in the hospital. He had several broken ribs and a broken nose. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" His voice was thick with suspicion.

"You're well informed." Aidou replied darkly.

"I have my connections." He paused. "Now, are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to ask her myself?"

Aidou couldn't bear the thought of Yori having to go through the chairman's questioning. It would tear her apart.

"Please don't ask her." He hated the pleading tone in his voice.

"This conversation can stay between you and me. Nothing said here ever has to leave this room." It sounded like he meant it.

Beads of sweat formed on Aidou's brow. Why did he feel like he was sitting here talking to a shrink? It must have had something to do with the cookies, or the dark leather chair he was leaning back in while talking to a man behind a desk in reading glasses. Whatever it was, he couldn't remember the last time he felt so put on the spot. Feeling incredibly uneasy, he rubbed the sweat off his forehead while trying to figure out how to talk about this. He should have told the chairman a long time ago. It would have made things so much easier. The man was a saint when it came to picking up strays. Even ex-human scum like Kiryuu.

Aidou swallowed a thick lump of guilt for what he was about to reveal. When he spoke it was in a low voice that was barely audible. "He was hurting her."

Just hearing himself speak the words caused furious rage to build inside him. His thirst only made the feeling more vivid and he had the sudden desire to hit something. The urge was strong and he gripped the sides of the chair to force himself to stay seated.

The chairman didn't react at first. He sat there looking back at him steadily. "When was the last time?"

Aidou took a deep breath as he tried to control a desire to go back to the house and kill the man. "Three months ago."

"Right before you started coming in here to pay her tuition." The chairman was putting the pieces together. "I can only assume his hospital stay was your doing?"

Aidou just nodded. He didn't quite trust his voice, yet. Images of Yori alone in that house filled his mind, beaten and bruised, her normally flawless skin black and blue after the bastard had treated her like a punching bag.

Apparently the chairman didn't notice his building rage, because the man persisted with pointless questions. "What is she doing for summer break?"

"She'll be with me."

"You're going to take her home with you?"

Aidou didn't respond. His fingers dug into the armrest, almost tearing the leather. The feeling that this man was trying to take her away from him was probably irrational, but a thirst for blood mixed with memories of the way she was hurt thickly clouded his thoughts.

"Right that wouldn't work out very well would it." The chairman continued. "She'll stay with me then."

Aidou stood abruptly and stalked over to the desk to lean over it threateningly. "You can't keep me away from her if that's what you're trying to do. I'm not going anywhere." The last thread holding his temper in check snapped.

He wasn't sure what he had intended to accomplish with his predatory stance, but the metalic click of the safety being pulled on a gun, halted any actions he would have taken. Time stood still as the atmosphere descended into a dead silence. Aidou didn't have to turn around to know the bloody rose was pointed at his head from only a few inches away.

"Unless you want the inside of your brains splattered on the walls, you'll take a step back, vampire." The last word was laced with pure venom as Kiryuu spoke behind him.

Aidou hated to admit that he was taken off guard. How had the ex-human snuck up behind him like that? It must have been due to lack of blood tablets in the past twentyfour hours. This night couldn't possibly get any worse.

Aidou turned slowly to face the silver haired vampire hunter, not wanting to make any sudden movements while one of the few weapons that could actually succeed at killing him was pointed at his head. He took in the vampire hunter's elongated fangs and flashing eyes.

"You look thirsty." he couldn't resist taunting him. "Isn't Yuuki supplying?"

It was absolutely the wrong thing to say, not to mention totally uncalled for, but his own thirst was becoming a more and more pressing need, making well thought out decisions nearly impossible.

Kiryuu's violet eyes glared back at him as the vampire hunter fired a warning shot. There was a lound thundering bang as the shot barely missed his head. A painting on the wall behind him crashed to the floor, but all he could hear was an intensely high pitched ring as his sensitive ear tried to recover from the deafening sound. Several strands of blond hair fell on his shoulder and his heart jumped into his throat. _That was too close._

"Jesus Fucking Christ!" Aidou yelled the expletive while grabbing his throbbing ear. Ice formed at his feet. This ex-human was going to get it.

"Zero-kun?" Said a female voice. There was another long pause as Yuuki entered the room. "Whats going on?" Her eyes widened. "You can't shoot Aidou-sempai! He's only here to help Yori-chan!" She exclaimed as she ran over to the vampire hunter.

Aidou watched with satisfaction as Kiryuu's eyes flickered briefly to the girl's throat. He didn't know what the little prefect thought she could possibly achieve, but he refused to be brought down to Kiryuu's level. So, he remained perfectly still and let the ice melt, determined to prove that he could stand here forever without showing his own signs of thirst, unlike the soon-to-be Level E.

She grabbed Kiryuu's sleeve and the silver haired vampire glanced down at her. The two made eye contact and seemed to share a moment of secret communication. "Are you feeling ok?" she whispered to him.

Aidou had to force himself to keep his mouth shut. The meaning behind her words was completely obvious and he could come up with several tempting smart-ass remarks.

"Yuuki-chan!" The chairman, who had been on the floor crying over the destruction of his antique painting, turned to the girl with a suddenly cheerful grin. "I was just telling everyone that I'm inviting Yori-chan to come with us on our family camping trip this summer."

"Really?" She brightened instantly and Aidou started to wonder if they were all bi-polar. "That's great! Don't you think so Zero-kun?"

The vampire hunter turn his glowering gaze back to Aidou. "Yes it would give the fang marks in her neck a chance to heal."

Aidou scoffed. "You're one to talk."

Yuuki looked from one vampire to the other, as if trying to figure out how to placate them. Nobody in the room seemed to want to point out how much the two had in common.

"Oh ummmm, there's something I wanted to show you." she said lamely as she tried to pull Kiryuu out of the room.

"I'm not leaving until the animal is gone." Zero said as his unwavering eyes narrowed.

"I was just leaving." Aidou ignored the ex-human's glare. "I wouldn't want to stay long enough to watch you turn Level E. I've already killed enough of them this week." He couldn't help but attempt to get the last word in.

Aidou was about to leave the room when the chairman stopped him. "This won't be necessary anymore." He said while handing back the envelope containing Yori's tuition money. "I'll cover everything from here."

Aidou didn't take it. The way the chairman was so easily stepping in to take care of Yori, irked him. "Keep it. I don't mind."

"No. I won't have this on my conscience." The chairman stated with finality.

Aidou heard Yuuki dragging Kiryuu out of the room. Apparently the pulse in her throat had managed to convince him to leave. It looked like Kiryuu wouldn't be going without a drink tonight. The thought reminded Aidou of his current predicament and again he struggled to stop his mind from wandering to thoughts of Yori's blood.

Aidou spoke quickly as he again refused. "It's fine. I want to pay it for her."

"Does she want you to?" The chairman asked.

Aidou avoided his gaze. "No."

"Ok then take this." he shook the envelope.

Feeling like he'd lost a hopeless battle, Aidou took the envelope from the outstretched hand. He felt defeated. The chairman had said he would be taking care of her from here on out. It made him feel like he was no longer needed, like _she_ would no longer need him.

He turned to leave, not wanting to stay a second longer.

"Tell her to come see me tomorrow." The chairman said as if rubbing salt in the wound. "She can stay for dinner. I think I'll try my new fish recipe." He added flamboyantly.

Aidou didn't turn around and he didn't respond. The smell of Yuuki's blood started to float into the room and he got the hell out of there.

* * *

**Some of Aidou's frustration gets explained in the next chapter. I feel like I'm telling it backwards...oh well =p**

* * *


	28. Enchanted

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters, but I'm completely in love with Aidou and I think my boyfriend is getting jealous.**

* * *

Aidou stepped into the cool night air, glad to have escaped the smell of blood coming from the bathroom near the chairman's office. That part of the campus building had turned into a small hell designed specifically to grate his nerves. Everything from his conversation with the chairman to being confronted with the little exchange between Kiryuu and Yuuki had been disconcerting.

He'd known about those two for awhile now and it never stopped disturbing him. Why did Kaname put up with it? The pureblood knew exactly what went on, yet did nothing to stop it. He couldn't imagine what went through Kaname's elusive mind. One thing he knew for sure was that if any other vampire so much as expressed a thought of drinking Yori's blood, he would kill him...or at least hurt him a whole hell of a lot.

As the thought entered his mind, strong tremors of possessiveness shattered through him. By now he should be getting used to these feelings. They came over him on an almost daily basis. Jealousy was completely irrational. After all, he had no one specifically to be jealous of. Unfortunately, this knowledge didn't make the emotion any more tolerable, and he finally had to admit that these feelings originated from a fear of losing her, not from jealousy.

As Aidou walked outside he didn't pay attention to where he was going. He just watched his legs move and let his mind wander to everything he had avoided thinking about over the past month. He'd devoted every available second to being with Yori. It had been time well spent. Getting her to smile and easing the pain of her memories were two jobs he took on eagerly. It didn't matter that she still seemed somewhat distant. He figured she just needed time to adjust to the idea of being loved by someone.

This is what he told himself up until five nights ago, when he had overheard a disturbing conversation.

That night, after leaving his last class, he had stopped by her window. He knew Yuuki would be there shortly, but he didn't let it stop him. Seeing her every night had become as necessary as blood.

The curtains had covered the window, making him unable to see anything inside except for a sliver of yellow light shining underneath the drapes. While perched on the sill, he'd heard a sniffle accompanied by the salty smell of tears. Yori was crying. Upon realizing this he had immediately moved to open the window, but that was when he'd heard Yuuki enter the room. So he stayed still and listened.

"Yori-chan what's wrong?" Came Yuuki's always compassionate voice.

"Oh Yuuki-chan you're back already." She sniffed probably trying to compose herself. "Nothing I just...think too much."

"Oh my gosh, what did Aidou-sempai do this time?"

From outside, Aidou controlled the urge to break the window and strangle the prefect. Why did everybody always assume when something went wrong it was his fault?

"It's not his fault." Yori's voice sounded more steady as she practically read his mind. He pressed his ear to the glass, instantly loving her more for defending his honor.

"Oh Yori-chan, you're absolutely right. It's all my fault." Yuuki sounded distressed as footsteps paced across the floor. "I should have never let him talk to you. It's just that I thought he cared about you since he wanted to pay for your tuition and then he seemed so concerned and I thought you...." She rambled.

"No no no," Yori interrupted her. "He didn't do anything wrong."

Aidou let the air out of his lungs. From the direction the conversation had been going he had started to worry that Yori was crying because of him.

There was a long pause. "What is it then? Maybe I can help."

"No...I mean thank you but..." Yori let out a breath. "He just doesn't seem to understand that it will never work. I should stop seeing him, but I just can't." Her voice started shaking again.

Aidou had gripped the window sill outside almost tight enough to crush it. What the hell was she talking about? It will never work? All of a sudden he had the distinct urge to shake her until she came clean with him.

"Everything will be okay Yori-chan." Yuuki's voice sounded muffled and Aidou could picture the two tiny girls hugging each other. "Is it because of money? Maybe if he wasn't paying for you it would be easier. Gosh, I'm so selfish for not trying to help sooner."

Aidou had listened vaguely as their conversation steered towards Yori comforting Yuuki and vice-versa. Girl talk was certainly a strange thing. He hadn't stayed to hear it.

So now, as Aidou walked from the chairman's residence he couldn't get that conversation out of his mind. The chairman's decision to allow Yori to attend school without paying was undoubtedly due to Yuuki's influence on the man. It wasn't that the change in the source of Yori's funding was a bad thing. Normally, he would have been happy about it. This way Yori could get over the thought that he was somehow buying her.

Still, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach didn't go away. _Maybe if he wasn't paying for you it would be easier, _Yuuki had said. Easier to what? Stop seeing him?

Yori was crazy if she thought that was a good idea. The last time he'd stayed away from her she had stopped sleeping then practically starved herself to death. Not only that, but she was happy with him. He could tell in the way she smiled up at him so warmly. These were signs that she loved him. They had to be!

Walking in the direction of the day class dorms, Aidou closed his eyes to cover a dull pain in his chest. He'd given everything to her, telling her a million times how he felt about her, repeating the words almost daily to make her believe him. It was foolish yet, even when he tried not to, the words still came out.

He ran a hand through his hair. He refused to end up like his cousin.

Growing up with Akatsuki had taught him that love was not something to rejoice over. When his cousin gazed at Ruka, his eyes didn't contain happiness. It was more of a painful longing. Then there was Kaname. The pureblood had a constant dark aura that reeked of grieving depression, most likely the result of Yuuki's constant blood donations to the ex-human.

Aidou forcefully pushed back the thoughts of those two vampires and their doomed relationships. He wasn't like them. Unlike Kaname, he didn't have the patience to spend years waiting for her to come to her senses and unlike Akatsuki, he couldn't hold back his thoughts and emotions. If he had an opinion, he said it. So it was inevitable that he would continue to tell Yori how he felt. Still, knowing this didn't relieve the pain he felt whenever she didn't respond to him.

He just needed to hear her say the words. Just once.

He was tired, angry, and thirsty as hell. Yori's room was the last place he should go. But he found himself walking directly there while still trying to control emotions and lurking bloodlust.

Light was peeking out from under her door, making him frown with concern. She should have been asleep by now. Without knocking, he went inside.

He had been wrong to assume she was awake. Yori was on her bed leaning back against the wall with her head fallen to the side. Her hand lay limply on the pillow next to her, with a half opened book sitting next to it. She was wearing his shirt, one of the black ones he wore under his school uniform. Although it was far too big on her, the dark fabric rode up her thighs revealing flawless cream colored skin.

He felt his anger slip away as his eyes drank in the view. Seeing her in his clothes tonight was the best medicine for his torment.

His gaze fell on her peacefully sleeping face. Dark eyelashes rested on her cheeks and her pink lips were slightly parted as she breathed evenly.

His chest tightened at the sight of her, and he couldn't resist bending down to lightly brush his lips against hers, so softly that she didn't even stir in her sleep. As he lifted his face from hers, he noticed that the way her head was turned to the side exposed her neck entirely. For several seconds, he admired the elegant curve of her neck, his sensitive eyes picking out a blue vein. She lay there, beautifully displayed and vulnerable. It was a mouth watering sight.

Forcing himself to pull away, even if it was only for a little while, he shrugged out of his white jacked and threw it over the chair at her desk, then loosened his tie and slipped out of his shoes. It probably would have been better to just leave and let her sleep, but there was nothing that could keep him away from her tonight.

As he took the book from her loose hand, he bent down to slide an arm under her shoulders. She moaned in sleepy protest as he tried to move her.

"Come on honey you don't want to fall asleep like that." he said gently as he moved her so she was lying down. "Your neck would hurt in the morning."

"Hanabusa..." she seemed to wake up enough to recognize his presence as he rested her head on the pillow.

Her sensually sleepy voice did things to him that he tried to ignore as he laid down next to her. Telling himself he was just going to lay down with her for a bit and not wake her up, he wrapped his arms around her. His heart swelled as she snuggled up to him, burying her face in his chest.

"Sorry to wake you up." he spoke into her hair as he pulled her closer.

"I was already awake." she murmured sleepily.

He chuckled. "Sure you were."

"I'm not even tired." she said childishly just before letting out a yawn.

He pushed strands of golden brown hair away from the side of her face then ran his hand along her neck. Her pulse traveled under the pads of his fingers and he felt his fangs lengthen. God he couldn't wait anymore.

"Yori-chan." All he said was her name as he pressed his lips against her neck, feeling the pressure of her blood moving through the vein under his mouth.

"What about Yuuki?" apparently she wasn't so sleepy that she couldn't worry about her roommate coming in.

"She's at the chairman's. I was just there." He licked the silky skin above her pulse, as his senses heightened with anticipation.

"Wait." she pushed against his chest.

He failed to suppress a groan as he pulled back slightly. "What?"

"You just finished paying my tuition and then you came straight here?" She sounded hurt.

He tried to think of anything but blood as he lifted his head from her neck. It didn't work, and the room started to develop a reddish hue. He closed his eyes before she could see his face, then pulled her tightly against him, afraid of how she would react to what he was about to tell her.

"I'm not paying for you anymore." he said. "The chairman is going to cover it."

"He is? Why would he do that?" She tried to speak as he pressed her face into the cloth of his shirt. He could tell she wanted to move to look at him, but he kept his eyes close. It wasn't like his red eyes would shock her or anything. He just didn't want to give away the extent of his bloodlust, fearing it would give her more reason to want to stop seeing him.

Now he just had to figure out what parts of his conversation with the chairman he could tell her. The last thing she needed to know was that he'd given away her secret. "It sounds like he basically wants to adopt you. The man is completely delusional." Both true statements that admitted nothing at all.

"Why would he want to do that all of a sudden?" She tried to sit up but he held onto her possessively.

"Ummmm he's worried about you spending time with me and he doesn't want me to pay for you anymore. Maybe Yuuki said something to him." Until she could handle it she was better off not knowing what he'd told the chairman.

He bent down to her neck again, his mind in a haze from her intoxicating scent. Being so close to her was driving him crazy.

"Oh..." she sounded convinced. "That's all?"

"and he wants to take you camping this summer." he mumbled into the nape of her neck, unable to move away.

"With Yuuki and Zero? They do that every year. It seems like a family thing. I would feel like I was intruding."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah I told you he wants to adopt you. The man's a nut case." He rubbed a hand up her back and tried to pretend like he wasn't ravenously thirsty. "You don't have to go. We can do something else."

"Hmmmm." she seemed to think it over. "I don't want to be rude though. Besides I've never been camping."

In other words, she would rather spend her time roughing it out in the heat of summer with bugs and wild animals than with him. Fucking great.

"Fine, but I really don't think you belong with them. Their whole little fake family is demented." His voice came out coarse.

"Don't say that. Those are my friends." She pushed against his chest but he didn't budge. "What's wrong with you?"

"Fucking Kiryuu can't keep his fangs out of anything that moves." He gripped her tightly. "Just watch out or you'll become part of the buffet." God why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut? This wasn't even remotely close to what what was really bothering him. He was pathetically latching onto to anything to be pissed off about.

"Let go of me." she struggled to loosen from his grip.

He didn't want to but he worried there might be a hint of fear in her voice. So he let go.

The mattress gave as she got out and stood up. "Zero might try to act scary but he would never do that to me. I can't believe you would even suggest such a thing."

Aidou sat up, not liking the way she was standing several feet away from him, but still unwilling to reveal his reddened eyes. "Oh really? He seems to have a knack for biting things that don't belong to him."

"What are you talking about?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh come on, I can't believe you don't notice it." He put a hand over his face, frustrated that his thirst wasn't diminishing and that he couldn't look at her. "He drinks Yuuki's blood whenever he gets the opportunity."

She was silent for a minute, taking this in, but he didn't hear the gasp of shock he had been expecting. When she spoke again her voice was still angry. "How is that any different than what we do?"

Anger seared through him. Had he just heard her correctly? "It's different because her blood isn't his to drink, but he takes it anyways!"

"Oh and what am I? Your property? My blood belongs to you since you payed for it I suppose."

"Yori will you stop thinking that?!" He was so sick of hearing this. "I'm not even paying for your school anymore and I'm still here." He bent his head and looked at the floor. The carpet had a deep red color instead of its normal brown. He couldn't control his thirst, and he couldn't control his completely irrational jealousy. "Look I'm just telling you to keep an eye on him. He'll probably try to take a chunk out of your neck the second you give him the chance."

"Yes, you do enough of that already." She quipped.

Aidou gritted his teeth. He didn't care anymore. He lifted his head and looked directly at her, letting her see that he was completely enveloped with bloodlust.

"I disagree. I don't think I do it nearly enough" his tone was low and threatening "but unlike Kiryuu, I can control myself."

She sucked in a breath as she looked at him. He knew the sight of him was probably frightening, with his red eyes and protruding fangs, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Plus it was helping his cause. Maybe he could scare her into listening to him.

As if in a trance, she stared at his eyes for several seconds before visibly shaking herself out of it. "Fine. Here." She stuck her hand out and placed the underside of her wrist directly in front of his mouth. "Please, don't control yourself for my sake." She said sarcastically.

It took him a split second to realize she was calling his bluff. Unfortunately, in that split second the scent of her blood traveled through the paper thin layer of white skin on her wrist to his flared nostrils. He gripped the sheets and held his breath.

"Don't do that." he bit out the words, practically growling in his effort to stop himself from attacking her wrist.

Her eyes widened slightly. He thought it was from fear at first but then her face softened and she stepped closer to him. Cool fingers brushed along his cheek as she looked at his eyes. "I'm sorry." she said gently. "I just don't understand what you're so worried about."

Her sultry feminine voice caressed his ears as she gently stroked his cheek. It would have been soothing if the need for blood hadn't been racing through his veins. He felt like he was hanging onto sanity by a thread as he stared intently at her throat while still unable to control his temper.

"Don't ever let him bite you." He said as he tried to get the image of another vampire's mouth on her out of his mind.

She frowned and moved closer to him, putting her knees on the mattress and straddling his lap. Every muscle in his body tensed with the effort to stay still as she put her hands on his shoulders and bent her head slightly to the side. "That won't ever happen, Hanabusa." she said as she gave him a view of the vein in her neck.

He helplessly stared at the blue line as the sound of her heart beating filled his ears. _Thump Thump Thump. _He started to imagine his mouth filling with spurts of blood in time with that pulse. Trying to muster any sliver of self-control, he leaned back as far as he could, until his back sunk into the mattress.

Yori didn't seem to mind. She just moved closer to him, not letting him escape. It was as if she was the vampire and he was the victim. Like a predator, she bent down over him, captivating him underneath her. Her hair fell forward and brushed his cheek as her neck hovered over his watering mouth.

He made himself speak. "Yori stop."

"It's okay" she soothed. "I can't even imagine doing this with anybody else but you." Her sultry voice spoke into his ear.

Sadly enough, it was the closest thing to a confession she had ever said to him, and he clung to the meaning behind the words, enhancing his obsession with her. Instinctively, his hand moved to bunch in the thickness of her hair, pressing his fingers into her scalp. He wrapped his other arm around her and crushed her to him.

For one last second he admired the smooth pale skin of her neck and actually relished in the thought that he would be biting it and leaving a mark.

Deeply buried instincts told him to bite her fiercely, tearing flesh and muscle to mark her, but as natural as it felt, it would be wrong to bite her in this way. She was human, delicate...precious.

He controlled his urges and held her still so that he could bite her softly, knowing it would still leave fang marks that would take days to heal. The blissful taste of her blood filled his mouth and he groaned with pleasure.

Despite the thunder of her pounding heart and rushing blood, he was able to hear her soft moan as he drank from her. The sound sent a lightning sensation of lust through his body and he flipped them over so he could nestle himself between her thighs, pinning her to the bed underneath him, as he sucked blood down his throat. He didn't want it to end, but knew it had to.

When he did pull away he felt relaxed and satiated. Then he let his hands roam, running his palms along her curves and reveling in the pliant feminine form underneath him.

Another sexy moan escaped her lips, and he moved to capture her mouth with his. He kissed her as if he hadn't just fulfilled his thirst by drinking her blood, ravaging her mouth and starving for more. He let his hands roam freely, running up her thighs and lifting the dark cloth.

"God Yori.." he spoke against her lips. "You're not wearing anything underneath this?"

She shook her head slightly as his hands rubbed along the smooth curve of her naked hips. As he thought about his clothing on her naked skin he found himself grinding his hips into hers. It was all he could do to stop himself from ripping his clothes off and burying himself inside her.

Desire crashed through him, but he held it under control. There were things he wanted to do before letting himself go. If she thought she wanted to get away from him, then he was going to let her know exactly what she would be missing.

He pushed the cloth farther up her body, lifting himself up slightly so he could pull it over her stomach. When she tried to help him by taking it off, he stopped her.

"Leave it on." he said gruffly as he lowered his head to her stomach.

She didn't protest and out of the corner of his eye he saw her gripping the sheets as he trailed kisses from her navel to her hip, before running his teeth along her inner thigh. She froze as she realized where his mouth was venturing.

"Hanabusa, wait!" her voice was shocked.

He decided not to give her any more time to think and held her thighs apart so he could move in between them, inhaling her tantalizing fragrance before giving her one long, slow lick along pink sensitive flesh. Hearing her surprised cry of pleasure at the intimate touch was all the encouragement he needed and he delved deeper, growing incredibly aroused at the taste of wet, slick skin sliding under his tongue as the sounds of her moans filled his ears.

She writhed underneath him and he gripped her trembling thighs tightly, holding them apart so he could take his time exploring her crevices, indulging himself in every nuance of her sweet taste. Her hands slid through his hair as he closed his mouth over her clitoris, sucking firmly enough to make her arch her hips as her cries grew louder. He moaned against her when she convulsed around him, her entire body quivering as she climaxed.

She went slack in his arms, sucking in deep breaths as her fingers absentmindedly ran through his hair. He lifted himself enough to gaze up along her body, taking in flushed skin and strands of slightly wet hair sticking to the sides of her face. She was by far the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life and he wanted to spend every day proving it to her.

The cloth of his pants strained against him almost painfully, but he wasn't finished yet and went back to his tender ministrations as soon as he heard her begin to recover her breath.

"I can't...again..." she said breathlessly, only to moan helplessly as he replaced his tongue with his hand, penetrating her slowly with two fingers.

He slid up along her body so he could whisper thickly in her ear. "I think you can."

Then he proved it to her, holding her head against his shoulder as he brought her swiftly to her next orgasm. The way she held onto him, crying out his name as she squeezed his hand between her thighs was enough to make him lose his mind and by the time he actually managed to undress himself his chest was heaving with the effort to draw air into his lungs while all he could think about was the way she would feel when he was inside her.

Settling on top of her, he took in her heavy eyelids and glazed brown eyes. He felt like he was drowning in them, completely mesmerized as she blinked slowly then looked up at him under long lashes.

"Yori I..." he stopped himself. All he wanted to do was tell her he loved her, but the fear of pushing her farther away surfaced itself in his mind.

Instead he did the next best thing. He showed her. His arms cradled her tightly as he made slow, exquisite love to her. Part of him wanted to be rough in an attempt to prove she wanted him, but it just wasn't in him to do so. He had lost his soul and she was the new owner. She could do whatever she wanted with it, but it didn't matter. Even if she wanted him half as much as he wanted her it would be enough. Her hold on him was completely unbreakable.

The room fell away and he couldn't hold out any longer. He shook as waves of his climax washed over him, gripping onto her and trying to maintain any semblance of sanity.

Gently, he turned them on their sides, covering her with his shirt before stroking his fingers along her back. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, that she was everything to him, that he couldn't live without her, that if she left him it would probably kill him. But none of these things seemed to express how he felt accurately. So instead he just did the same thing as always. He gave her his heart.

"I love you, Yori-chan."

Silence, was his only response.

He hadn't really been expecting her to reply with her own confession. There was no reason that this time would be different than any of the others. He knew he had effectively put his heart on a silver platter and handed it to her. Every day he wondered if she would cut it into pieces before handing it back to him.

The silence continued to linger and he found himself feeling dreadfully exposed. He needed to hear her say something, anything.

He continued to rub her back, feeling the cloth of his shirt that wrapped around her naked skin. "Stealing my clothes now?" It wasn't even close to what he wanted to know.

"I like the way they smell."

Finally, the sound of her voice caressed his senses. Even though it was the smallest nonsensical thing, it relaxed him. Pulling her closer, he entwined his legs through hers, then stroked her hair as her breathing slowed and she slipped into sleep.

In his mind he imagined that her wearing his shirt was like her accepting his love. It surrounded her, kept her warm, comforted her. She wore it while she was asleep and vulnerable, practically swimming in the excess of fabric.

He whispered into her ear as she slept. "Just don't ever take it off."

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**Oh yeah, I remember why I'm dragging this story out way longer than it should be. So I can write more lemons!**


	29. Secretive Torment

**I bet you thought I forgot about this story...hehe well I kinda did, but I couldn't get some things out of my head so here is the ending. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't make money off of this, but I sure enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

Yori stood nervously outside the small door that lead to the chairman's living area. She had knocked but it had been too softly for anybody inside to hear. Aidou had told her the chairman wanted to see her today but he hadn't said why. Now she felt extremely apprehensive, not knowing what to expect.

She closed her eyes and bit her lip, thinking about the night before. He had told her he loved her again. He said it almost every time they were together. Part of her felt excited whenever he said it, but another part only felt fear. Somehow she had managed to fool him. How could he love her? How could anybody possibly _love _her?

Yori thought out these questions even as she knew she was so desperately in love with him.

It was obvious he wanted to hear her repeat the oath, but for some reason she just couldn't find the courage to let the words leave her mouth. Sometimes she whispered it to him while he slept. Sometimes she even said it in her mind when they were together, as if she could somehow communicate telepathically.

She was a coward, and although it was mostly out of her own personal fear of completely exposing that last part of herself, there were other reasons...or at least she was determined to find other reasons.

For one thing, there was that dark little vampire library in the corner of the moon dorm building. After reading a few of the books she understood Aidou's purpose in wanting her to understand more about vampires. It had been heart warming to learn of intimacy between vampires, and that they expressed it through biting each other. When he drank her blood it meant much more than nourishing a thirst. Deep down she had already known this, and the books had only confirmed it.

Unfortunately, Aidou had underestimated the extent of her curiosity and the diligence at which she sought to satisfy it. It hadn't taken long before she had taken a strong interest in how vampires regarded humans or more specifically, how they regarded mixed vampire and human couples. She had scoured the extensive literature, searching for anything that broached the subject.

It had been very frustrating research. There was not a single book that even mentioned the idea of a relationship between a human and vampire that went beyond that of predator and prey. Actually, that wasn't quite true. There were a few books on enslaving humans, how to use mind control on them, and methods of erasing memories. She had quickly learned that, to them, it was something either completely unheard of or absolutely not discussed.

During the weekends, she had made frequent trips to that tiny library during day light hours, tip toeing out of Aidou's room as the vampires slept, still fearful of their presence. Hours would fly by as she buried herself in prose of vampire history and ideals.

It had been on one such occasion when she had been interrupted by who she knew now to be the most powerful vampire of the night class.

When he entered the room, she had instantly stood out of the leather chair she had been curled up in. Shocked at his entrance. His presence had filled the room with a daunting power that instantly urged her to have the very human fight or flight response. Her calves had tensed in preparation to flee.

He had lithely entered the room with inhuman grace and assessed her with dark intelligent eyes, noticing her reaction to him and apparently unphased.

"I'm sorry. I do not mean to frighten you." His voice had been colorfully melodic yet deep and smooth. It floated through her mind in low musical tones. "You are safe here."

Her entire being had instantly relaxed at the sound of his velvet voice, as if the meaning of the words had been directly planted in her mind. As she thought back on it, she realized he had used some vampire ability to relax her on purpose.

"I do not believe we have been properly introduced." He bowed gracefully. "You may call me Kaname."

She had found herself so relaxed by his voice that she had smiled at his choice of words. He hadn't introduced himself in a normal manner at all. Instead, it was like he had given her permission to call him by name.

"I'm Yori Wakaba."

He had only nodded as she said her name, seeming to already know who she was. "I see you have found much here that intrigues you." He'd said as he glanced at the several books, haphazardly scattered on the floor around her chair.

"Oh I'm s-sorry." she'd stuttered as she looked at the mess she'd made with embarrassment. "I probably shouldn't be in here." Her voice fluctuated nervously.

"It is alright. I gave Aidou permission to bring you here." His eyes softened with amusement. "It must all be very new to you."

"Yes." she fidgeted.

"Was there something imparticular you were looking for?"

"Ummmm....well..." She shuffled as she began to feel uncomfortable.

"You can tell me." Again, his deep voice mesmerized her senses, evoking a response.

"Human and vampire relationships." The words left her mouth in a surprisingly even tone. They were pulled directly from her thoughts, but with ease and not force.

"I'm afraid that is something you will not find." He sounded apologetic. "It is something that as yet remains unaccepted."

"Oh" she'd replied lamely, embarrassed at her confession but trying not to show her disappointment.

Glancing to the window she had noticed that it was already dusk. She didn't want to be wandering around the dorms while the other vampires were awake. The thought brought her out of his mental hold.

"I should go back." she'd said while glancing at the doorway as if it was an escape, unsettled by the affect he had on her.

"Before you go, there is something I should tell you." He stopped her from leaving.

She felt her mind clear slightly and looked up at him. It was then she noticed that his dark eyes seemed to contain a deep sadness, as if grieving for the loss of a loved one. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before and wondered at what it meant.

"I owe you an apology." he said.

This surprised her immensely. "An apology?" What could he possibly have to apologize to her for?

"Yes, there were things I could have prevented, and chose not to." He paused and then lowered his voice. "You have my deepest regrets."

She'd stood still, stunned at the sudden change of direction their small conversation had taken. She opened her mouth to ask him why he was apologizing but what he did next took her breath away.

He lifted a hand and pulled the collar of her shirt aside, looking over Aidou's bite mark in her neck. She stood completely frozen, holding her breath and having no idea how to react.

He looked intently at the mark. "To him you are truly precious. It is something I can relate to." He slowly replaced her collar and lowered his hand as his gaze became deeply serious. "You will always be safe here. It is the least I can offer."

He had dismissed her then, giving her permission to leave in the same manner he had given her permission to use his name. It was undeniable that he was a leader, and it wasn't until later that she realized he was one of the vampires called 'purebloods' that she had read about.

Yori didn't know for sure what he had meant when he had said there were things he could have prevented. How much of her home life did he know about? It was a mortifying thought and she was deeply grateful that he had chosen not to speak of it specifically.

Now, standing outside the chairman's home, she heard a noise from inside that sounded like someone approaching the door. It instantly brought her out of her reflective thoughts and her apprehension returned swiftly.

The knob turned and the door opened, revealing the chairman with his dirty blonde hair in a loose ponytail. He looked ridiculous in a pink apron and oven mits.

"Yori-chan!" he exclaimed with a welcoming smile.

"You said you wanted to see me?" She wondered at his bizarre excitement.

"Yes yes, why don't you come in?" he said, holding the door open so she could come inside. "You're a little early, Zero and Yuuki are coming soon, but that's just fine. You can help me finish dinner. You'll stay won't you? Oh you just have to, I tried a new recipe and I think everyone will like it."

She followed the chairman into the kitchen as he chattered endlessly. Immediately the smell of salty food cooking on the stove passed her senses and her stomach gave a low rumbling growl making her blush with embarrassment.

"See you came just in time!" If it was even possible, he sounded even more enthusiastic than before.

She hardly had time to respond before he hustled her towards the counter. The kitchen was warmly lit with a soft yellow light. It had the cozy atmosphere of home and family and she couldn't help but feel comforted by the sizzling sounds of cooking on the stove. It reminded her of quiet nights with Simon, when she had cooked for him while he nagged her about when she would be finished cooking and tried to steal pieces of food over her shoulder. Of course, those had been nights when his father hadn't been at home. It was always before he arrived home, when the evening was inevitably ruined. How was it that eating with Simon seemed like years ago, but the violent fights felt like yesterday?

Yori mentally shook herself. She had been very good at avoiding the onslaught of memories recently and she refused to give into them now. With a practiced habit she straightened her back and focused on the present.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Anything to keep her mind busy.

"Oh that would be great Yori-chan! Why don't you make a tossed salad? There's lettuce and vegetables in the fridge."

She easily found the food in the refridgerator. The chairman noticed when she started looking through the cabinets and set a large bowl, cutting board and knife on the counter next to the stove.

They worked quietly next to each other for awhile with only the soft sounds of cooking, and as she finished chopping tomatoes she glanced over at the stove. Curiously, she watched him dump spices on white fish filets practically covering them in pepper and garlic. Yori wrinkled her nose as the smell started to become offensive. She wanted to stop him but remained quiet, silently wishing that Zero was cooking instead of the chairman.

When she noticed the stench of burning she couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"Ummmm I think maybe the fish is done." It was quite the understatement.

"Oh!" he jumped in surprise when he noticed the burning fish.

This seemed familiar, Simon's father had always burnt food when he tried to cook. It had been a wonder that he hadn't burned the house down. Yori forcefully ignored the memory and reached over to to turn off the gas. Unfortunately, the chairman reached for the frying pan at the same time, and as he pulled it off the stove she bumped into him, knocking it out of his hand. The frying pan crashed onto the floor between them, spilling the food into a disgusting mess, unexplainably causing her heart to double in speed.

"I'm so sorry!" Yori cried and frantically bent down to clean it up with shaking hands.

His feet came into her vision and she felt him standing over her. All of a sudden he seemed _different_. The surroundings weren't the same. The chairman wasn't the chairman anymore, and he was towering over her. Tall, ominous....frightening.

Lightning fear streaked through her and she sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry, I'll clean it up! It's all my fault!" Her voice came out too loud and in quick spurts. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his foot take a step towards her and felt him bending down.

Instincts kicked in. She scrambled away from him on the floor before standing up on trembling legs, backing away from him until she hit the wall with bruising force. She needed to run away! Did he stumble? She could swear there was a scent of alcohol in the air. _Oh my god._ _Where are the stairs?_

"Yori-chan?" He spoke as he took a step towards her.

She flinched, bringing her forearms up in front of her face, preparing herself for the blow.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Nothing happened and instead of hearing drunken yelling she only heard her breath coming in short gasps. Something was dreadfully wrong. She couldn't get enough air in her lungs no matter how hard she tried to breath. Her chest felt like it had a heavy weight pressed down on it and she moved her hands from shielding her face to pull at the cloth of her shirt, frantically trying to loosen her clothes. She needed to pull herself together. Any minute now he would hit her. There would be pain and she needed to prepare herself.

Through blurry vision she stared up at the man who stood several feet away from her. He was just standing there in his pink apron, watching her from behind silver glasses.

"It's okay Yori-chan." he said softly.

Oh god what was she doing? This was the chairman not Simon's father! He probably thought she was crazy. God she _was _crazy! Not only that, she was suffocating. The room closed in around her and began to darken. She had to escape this nightmare!

"I-I'm sorry. I have to go." She said quickly as she ran out of the room.

She heard him calling after her, but she ignored him. All she could think about was getting away and out of this stuffy room, with all the horrid memories that came with it. She should have known better than to come here. What made her even think she could do anything normal?

She swung open the front door, and shot outside, running away not from the chairman, but from vivid images, shocking blows, violence and nightmares that were impossible to run from.

She made it several yards before bumping into a hard yet slightly pliant surface.

"Oomph! Where are you running off to?"

Arms came around her, captivating her, stifling her, stopping her desperately needed escape. Her mind was gone. She could no longer tell what was real and what was in her head. Hot tears streamed down her face but she was barely aware of them. The figure in front of her was gripping her arms, holding her captivated. She tried to scream but it was taking all of her effort just to draw air into her lungs. Her breathing was coming in painful high-pitched wheezes. It was over. Death was looming and inevitable.

"Yori! Oh my god! Yori whats wrong?!"

The voice called to her. It echoed in the distance but she couldn't respond. Her knees hit the ground and strong hands wrapped around her wrists, pulling her hands off her chest.

There was a commotion around her, but she was too focused on struggling to breathe to understand any words that were spoken. Had the atmosphere around her changed? Was she being carried somewhere? God this felt like a dream, a horrid nightmare. She didn't want to die. She wasn't ready for it yet, but death was surely coming.

Something was placed over her mouth. Someone was trying to suffocate her! She struggled weakly unable to understand what was happening.

Slowly, words spoken started to make sense.

"...Yori, it's okay. You're going to be okay. Just breathe. I'm here with you. You're safe." his voice came into her ear in soft whispers.

A few strangled breaths later she realized she wasn't being suffocated at all. Actually, somehow with her mouth covered she could breathe easier.

"There you go. That's it. Take slow breaths." It was Aidou's voice, and nothing had ever sounded so wonderful.

The earth seemed to finally be still. The tightness in her chest started to ease and she soon realized that it was a paper bag that was being held over her mouth and the arms around her belonged to Aidou. He felt strong and warm, steady in a world that had completely fallen apart.

Yori didn't know if her eyes had been closed or if her vision had simply come into focus, but she was sure that the blue eyes gazing down at her were still the most beautiful she had ever seen.

"Hey, there you are." He said gently, as if he had just found her hiding somewhere. His arm around her back tightened and she felt his fingers press into her skin. "I thought I told you not to scare me like that."

He was still holding the brown paper bag over her mouth and she lifted a shaky hand to pull it away. Finally feeling like she could breathe normally, but still unsure of her surroundings.

"What happened?"

"You were hyperventilating."

She gave him a confused look.

"Overbreathing that causes abnormally low levels of carbon-dioxide in the bloodstream, commonly induced by panic or anxiety." He explained.

Despite the situation, Yori couldn't help but let the side of her mouth lift in a half-smile. "You sound like a dictionary."

He smiled down at her as he stroked hair off of her forehead that was wet from prespiration. "Did I mention that I'm a genius?"

Yori turned her head into the muscle in his shoulder, taking in his scent. Somehow he had become her world. It didn't matter where she was or what danger she was in. He always saved her. Her body still felt shaky, the world was unsteady, but he was there with her and all of a sudden she didn't care about anything else. "I think you're wonderful." She admitted, wrapping her arms around his torso.

He audibly swallowed and held her closer. "Yori there's something I need to tell you..."

"Ahem..." The chairman stood a few feet away, clearing his throat to get their attention.

They shot apart guiltily. Yori quickly assessed her surroundings. She was on the sofa in the chairman's sitting room. Apparently Aidou had carried her inside. That must have been what happened. Oh no, the chairman was here. She was mortified! Surely he would think she was completely insane. Somehow she had to explain this. She had to stop him from asking questions.

"I'm sorry about this." she spoke quickly. "It's just that I ummmm burned myself on the stove when I was a child and I guess it just still scares me sometimes when I'm in the kitchen." It was the most pathetic, obvious lie she had ever given. Just as useful as every time she'd told people she'd fallen down the stairs, or walked into a door.

The room was quiet. Too quiet. Two sets of concerned eyes were looking down at her.

She laughed nervously and looked away. "It's pretty silly I guess."

"I don't think it's anything silly at all Yori-chan." The chairman spoke seriously and gave her a straight look.

His unwaivering gaze made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Yori shifted her weight on the couch and sat up straighter waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's no big deal. I feel better now. I should probably just get some rest."

She was about to try to stand but the chairman spoke again. "Nobody here will ever hurt you Yori-chan. You can feel safe here. Recovering from a traumatic past can be a difficult process, but you have friends here to help you."

That's when it hit her. He knew. The chairman _knew_! That was why he was going to pay for her school instead of Aidou. It all started to make sense. Wide eyed, she glanced over at Aidou who was kneeling next to the sofa in front of her. He clenched his jaw and avoided her gaze. Had Aidou told the Chairman about what happened to her? He couldn't have possibly betrayed her like that...could he?

"Well why don't you rest here for a bit." The chairman's voice broke through her thoughts. "Would you like some tea?"

Yori didn't know how she managed to speak, but her voice came out calm and even. "Yes that would be nice. Thank you."

The chairman only paused breifly before leaving the room and leaving the two of them alone.

An uncomfortable silence passed before Aidou finally spoke. "Yori, it's not like you're thinking."

She sat in complete stillness, staring at an invisible spot on the wall across the room. "Isn't it?" her voice came out in a whisper. "You told him."

His hand gripped the sofa cushion next to her leg. "You need someone to help you. You can't do everything by yourself."

"You told him."she repeated, still in a trance. "Didn't you?"

"Yori I.."

"Didn't you?!" her voice came out higher pitched, frantic.

"Listen, you have to let me explain.."

"Just answer the fucking question!"

He stiffened at her curse, but she didn't care. She was completely beyond reason.

Finally he responded. "Yes."

Things happened in slow motion, but far too quickly at the same time. Yori watched her hand lift as if it belonged to somebody else. It moved in front of her with swift precision, striking him across the cheek with a loud smack that echoed around the room.

* * *

Aidou's eyes widened with a hurt look that had nothing to do with the red mark stinging his cheek. He felt about as worthy as the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. She had trusted him and he had betrayed her. It didn't even bother him that she had slapped him. He could have stopped her. It's not like he hadn't seen it coming, but he had chosen not to react. Besides, getting slapped was nothing new to him anyways.

Heck he probably deserved it. It made perfect sense that she would be mad at him. But it wasn't like he was trying to hurt her, or expose her carefully guarded past. He was trying to help her. She couldn't see that but eventually she would understand. He could fix this.

"Even if I didn't tell him, he would have figured it out on his own. He told me as much." Aidou gazed at the floor feeling unworthy of looking her in the eye. "Everything will turn out okay. I promise."

She didn't respond, and he started to worry that she wasn't even listening. The salty scent of tears permeated the air, and he couldn't look away any longer.

The look in her eyes shocked him. Complete frigid fear. Her fist was pressed against her mouth and she looked like she was in shock.

"Hey Yori-chan, it's going to be okay." he repeated reaching for her as she tried to back away.

"Don't touch me!"

Aidou froze hand extended in mid-air. "I'm not mad at you Yori. It was a natural reaction."

She seemed to calm down, at least on the surface. Her face stilled with a hard look. "You're such an idiot, Hanabusa." she said with a dead stare. "You think you understand, but you know nothing about me."

What was this? Aidou had no idea where she was going with this line of thought. "Then explain it to me."

Yori took in a deep breath and began to speak. "I'm not a victim. I'm not a survivor. I'm the villain. There is nobody in the world to blame about my messed up life but me. Everything is my fault." She pounded on her chest with her fist to emphasize her words.

Aidou had known she thought this way, but was amazed to hear her actually admit it. "No. It isn't your fault Yori-chan." he said for what must have been the thousandth time.

"You don't know anything. There's a lot that even I don't understand but there is one thing I am absolutely sure of. It is all my fault, of this I can assure you."

"Yori..."

"Oh shut up." she cut him off. "Just shut up and listen to me."

Silently, he waited.

"When I was a little girl I saw the way my mother was with him. She never loved him even though he was so desperately in love with her. It was pathetic, the way he followed after her, loving her even when she was sleeping with other men. Somehow he managed to convince himself she was faithful. His ability to deny the world around him always astounded me." She took a deep breath. "So I eventually just told him what she was doing."

"It was one night when we were eating dinner. Mom wasn't there of course. She had called to say she would be home late, as usual." Hatred thickly filled her voice. "Simon was still an infant then, and still she left us for other men. I resented her for it, but I hated him even more. He was such an idiot, ignoring all the evidence, allowing it to continue and taking it out on me, but with words, not with his fists. He yelled at me again that night." She waived her hand dismissively. "It was over something stupid. I can't even remember what it was. Something about school and boys. He was always yelling at me about the way I dressed, saying I looked slutty or something like this. I should have been used to it, but that night it became too much. So I looked him in the face and I told him."

Aidou sat still. He couldn't believe she was actually talking about this so freely. It was like another person had taken over. It was so unlike her, yet here she was, pacing back and forth across the floor speaking quickly and decisively.

"I actually, got in his face and said, 'I'm not the slut, your wife is. Guess where she is right now.'" Yori stopped pacing and stood still, staring at the wall. "He didn't hit me then, but I wish he had." Her voice began to shake. "Oh god I wish he had."

Aidou couldn't see her face but her shoulders were starting to shake and he knew she was crying. He stood to approach her but she lifted a hand to hold him at bay. "I'm not finished."

Aidou started to feel increasingly worried. Should he stop this? No, she seemed like she needed to get it out. She was finally talking. He wanted to hear this, no matter how awful it was.

"He beat her when she got home that night." She whispered. "I was in my room with Simon, but I heard it all. It started out as a fight. They were yelling at each other. Maybe I should have gone downstairs but I didn't. I was still angry at her. I thought she deserved it. Well, I thought she deserved it when they were yelling but not when she started screaming. Oh god!"

She let out a shudder then turned to face him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her brown eyes were red and swollen. Aidou forced himself to stay still, not sure if he should approach her.

"When she screamed I didn't go downstairs. She...she called my name. At least I think she did. I try to forget things that happened that night. The noises and the screams." Her eyes glazed over. "Simon started crying and I stayed with him. I didn't go downstairs. I'm such a coward. I hid in my room with Simon and didn't go to help her. I was too scared to move." Her arms came up to wrap around herself, in a protective childlike gesture. "I didn't hear her leave the house, but I heard the car start and I heard her drive away. She never came back."

Aidou thought his heart would break in two. Picturing a scared little girl, hiding in her house with her baby brother. Trapped in a world made by adults who filled it with betrayal, lies and violence. If it hadn't been facing him directly, it would have been beyond his imagination.

Yori sank to the floor on her knees and began rocking herself back and forth. "It was several months before he started hitting me, and when he finally did, I was relieved."

At this Aidou took in a sharp breath. Had he heard her correctly?

"I wanted him to hit me Hanabusa. I _wanted _him to! Not only did I want him to but I made him do it. I told him to hit me." She looked at the floor with an empty gaze. "I dared him to and finally he did. Finally I got what I deserved." Yori started to completely break down sobbing and speaking barely coherently through hands covering her face. "It was painful and I was always so scared of him, but some sick part of me liked it. Oh god what's wrong with me? I still want to go back!"

That was it. He couldn't quietly listen to her talk like this. " Jesus, stop this. There's nothing wrong with you!"

She didn't seem to hear him. "Why are you still here? How can you even look at me?" Her voice cracked like she was barely able to control it. Face drenched with tears she looked up at him like he was an enigma. "Didn't you hear anything I just told you?"

Aidou sank down to the floor next to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him tightly. "I'm not going anywhere Yori-chan." He said into her hair. "Nothing will change how I feel about you."

"Hanabusa..." she said through broken sobs. "help me."

He pulled her tiny shaking body closer, swallowing down a thick lump in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the chairman peer through the doorway, then step away, giving them much needed privacy.

"I promise I'll take care of you Yori-chan."

"Oh Hanabusa...I love you." She sniffed and gripped his shirt, burying her face in his chest. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

THE END

* * *

**A final author's note: This ending is purposely abrupt. I know that this is romance, and we all like a pretty ending that is neatly tied with a bow, but this story dealt with a heavy subject that has no pretty ending. I decided to go with an abrupt ending because it is designed to show that this is a new beginning of a healing process for Yori. Traumatic experiences such as hers take years and years to heal, far more time than there's room for in one novel length fanfiction.**

**Also, I don't care how long its been since I posted this final chapter. I still read my reviews! So please, if you actually read this whole thing, take a minute to leave me a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts!**


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